Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?
by Fenroar Greyfront
Summary: Troy has a small accident with Sharpay and begins to think about how familiar it seemed. Later, during a discussion with his friends, the memory of the accident goes back a few years, and just might be the answer to the question they'd been asking...TxS
1. Ch 1: Summoning a Memory

This is my first High School Musical fic, and I ask that, if you do not like Troy/Sharpay stories, then please leave if you only want to be rude.

Otherwise, please enjoy!

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**_Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?_**

_**Chapter 1: Summoning a Memory **_

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Troy strode through the packed hallways, a spiral notebook in one hand, and a pencil in the other. He had to move around to dodge the people in his way, which he was doing pretty well with – if you don't count being stepped on, and stepping on, people's feet a few times.

"Troy!" Gabriella's voice called to him, as he spun around, watching her close her locker.

"Hey!" he replied, noticing Gabriella's eyes travel to the notebook in his hand. "Oh, homework," he instantly replied, "I fell asleep doing it last night after the game."

"Well, I won't disturb you," she said with a flirtatious smile.

He smiled back, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Troy spun back around, walking towards his locker, which, with his luck, had been all the way on the other end of the school.

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Sharpay's eyes were glued to her cell phone, her fingers moving to text message her cousin from Paris at an alarming rate.

Bumping into others wasn't an issue, since they all backed away from her in mock shivers, and whispers of, "Look – it's the ice queen!"

She was on her way to the music room to meet Ryan for their daily rehearsal, which was two turns of a hallway away.

She turned a corner, and continued to zip right through the crowd with ease, not looking up once.

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'_Uh… no, that's not right… Na3Cl8 plus K2H7O3 equals… GAH I hate the Periodic Table and it's stupid elements!'_ he thought, glaring at his unfinished homework.

Troy processed the homework through his mind. He was now scratching his head, in confusion and frustration.

He scribbled down a few possible answers, then erased, and tried once again.

"Maybe that answer _was_ right…" he mumbled to himself, walking faster.

He now mentally cursed himself for not making time to do his homework the previous night.

Normally he wouldn't care, but, this time, the incompletion of homework meant after school detention, which meant not making practice, which meant pissing his dad off, which meant being grounded, which meant– well, you get the point: detention was a _bad_ thing.

Finally, a light bulb in his head flashed on, and he discovered the answer to the problem he'd just been working on.

Jotting down the answer with a smile, he was about to scribble the last element of the answer in, when –

_**BAM!  
**_

A cell phone went flying into the air, along with a notebook, a pencil, and a hat in tow.

"Can't you watch where you're going, you little – Oh, get off of me!" a whiny and not unfamiliar voice whined. The sound of it was so smooth, yet cold enough to make those with the sunniest of moods shiver.

Troy looked beneath him, where a frustrated blonde lay, glaring daggers at him.

The school basketball star looked down, finding that he was straddling her, and his face was in her… bosom.

Many of the passerby's eyes were on them now, throwing comments like, "Get a room!", at them, so he began to panic internally, while Sharpay remained calm, and ready to use her legs to get him off of her.

So, Troy staggered up, and dusted himself off, holding out a hand.

"Uh – sorry, Sharpay," he said, scratching his head, blinking a few times, not noticing the small blush that'd rose in his cheeks.

Still not giving out her icy glare, Sharpay stood on her own, while picking up her cell phone, a light tone of pink inhabiting her face as well – though it was unnoticeable due to her attitude which clearly showed it off as anger or frustration – or both.

"You should be. Watch where you're going next time," she said, placing her hat back on her head, throwing another glare his way, continuing to walk along.

Troy watched Sharpay create an enactment of 'the red sea', people spreading out, leaving a large walking space for her, throwing insults and laughing.

'_Nice caboose…' _he thought with a smile, watching the way she walked.

Troy shook his head, shaking the thought away, knowing he shouldn't think of Sharpay with a nice anything – especially a nice backside. Dazed, picking up his notebook, and pencil, he completed his homework at last. But that encounter had led to another question that boggled his mind– 'Why did that feel so – familiar – and so... never mind...'

'_Must be déjà vu… from when...?_' he asked himself, now jogging to his locker.

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After basketball practice, the boys were gathered around at Burger King, eagerly stuffing their faces.

"Yeah, so it was this girl named Rebecca in eighth grade – in a game of spin the bottle. She wasn't bad – it was actually her first, and my first," Chad said, nodding with a smile.

"Isn't this a little girly? I mean – you know, talking about first kisses?" Jason brought the question up.

"We're getting in touch with our feminine sides. Girls dig that – right Zeke?" Chad asked, elbowing the 'cooking sensitive guy' of the team.

"Yeah, yeah they really do. After that whole confession thing about my baking, I've had girls flocking around me!" he said with a smile.

Jason nodded with a smile, in an 'Ah, I see,' way.

"Yeah, so Jason, who was your first kiss?" asked John Matthews, another player on the team.

"Mine? Oh, I couldn't say," he said with a grin, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on," the team groaned.

"ItwaswithKelsi," he said in one quick breath. "It was a dare back in eighth grade! And if I remember clearly, Troy dared me to!" he said with a smile, all eyes now directed at the team star.

"Hey, only 'cause you liked her," he said with a shrug.

The boys resumed eating once again, Zeke burping at the last bite.

"So, Troy, who was _your_ first kiss?" he asked, taking a drink.

The team's eyes were all directed at him, curiously.

"Ah, I don't remember," he lied, nodding, looking down at his burger.

'If I tell them… they'd laugh!' he thought.

"Yeah right. Let me guess, just recently, Gabriella was your first kiss," Chad offered.

The guys laughed, jeers of, "Late bloomer" going around.

"Hey, hey, no! I haven't even kissed Gabriella yet!

"You haven't been kissed!" Chad exclaimed, all seriousness written all over his face.

Gossip had made its way around the table, and Troy gladly stopped it.

"Yes, I have been kissed!" he said in a fiery, 'take that' voice, "my first kiss was in seventh grade."

They all looked at him expectantly, and he bit his tongue back realizing the mistake he'd just made.

Nobody interrupted him, because it looked as if he'd started walking down memory lane, mulling over the long ago stored recollection.

"Well – it – it all started when…"

_-FLASHBACK-_

"She's mean," said Greg, an old classmate of Troy's that was now on the basketball team, scratching his head in confusion, holding up a ripped up heart shaped card.

"Well, of course she is. She's the 'Ice Princess', remember? The next time you ask someone to be a Valentine, it shouldn't be Sharpay Evans," John said, another seventh grader that was also on the current team.

The students were all huddled around their usual spots in the hallway by the locker. And, as usual, Troy was just on his way to them now.

"Whose really ever liked her, and stuck to it?" asked Jason, who had gone to school with Troy back then.

All eyes zoomed over to the brown haired boy, the star of the East Middle School Varsity team.

"Whoa… really?" Jason whispered, the other guys nodding.

"To this day," John said, shaking his head.

"Why?" Greg asked in disgust.

Nobody answered because Troy had finally arrived, all the boys just staring at him.

"Hey…" Troy said blinking in confusion. "What's… up?" he asked, now curious as to why all the attention was on him.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all!" Greg had replied, far too jittery.

The basketball champ nodded, still looking skeptical, his eyes narrowed as an attempt to see past his friends and why they'd been acting so strange.

An eerie silence followed, that you might even say crickets could be heard. The boys looked accusatively at Troy.

But, all silence was broken when cheerleader, Natasha Brown, came up to the boys with a stack of square envelopes – supposed invitations – in her hand.

"Hey boys! I'm having a party at my house on Valentines Day! Hope you can come!" she added, shoving the invitations into the boys' arms. "But, only come if you're ready to play some games – if you know what I mean," she continued, nudging Jason, her eyebrows rising up and down.

She laughed her ditzy laugh, Jason following along. Finally, she left with a wink at Troy, and Jason stopped fake laughing and rolled his eyes.

"Are you going, Troy?" the boys immediately asked.

Troy opened the invitation, and it had said just what Natasha had.

He read it aloud.

"Come to Natasha Brown's party, on February 14, for a Valentines Day celebration. But, only come if you're ready to play games – if you know what I mean," he finished. "I guess. It's Friday, and I've got nothing planned, so I guess I'll go."

"If you're in, I'm in," Jason said, nodding.

"Same," the other two said.

The bell finally rang, the boys' heads turning to the way to Biology, Sharpay's locker five lockers away from the door.

Even from their position in the filled and crowded hallways, they could here her saying, "Count me in!" in her perky voice.

"We have to play "If you know what I mean" games with _her_!" Jason exclaimed towards the boys.

Troy's face went blank, not knowing whether he should be happy, or nervous – he still assumed nobody knew he had a thing for Sharpay.

The other boys' faces fell, hoping not to end up with Sharpay during a game of spin the bottle, for fear of getting their lips frozen by the Ice Princess.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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I hope you liked the first chapter. Please leave a review if you can.


	2. Ch 2: Still Remembering

Thank you all for your kind reviews, and I'm glad you're enjoying my story!

Now the story has a story_ within_ it, and only the scenes with Troy in it are what he remembers (obviously). Other scenes without him are just to give you an idea of what's going on outside of 'Troy's World'. So from here until it says it's not, this is all apart of the flashback, hence the name of the chapter, 'Still Remembering'.

Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 2: Still Remembering _**

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After school, the boys did their daily ritual of throwing homework down to the bottom of their priority list, and playing soccer at the park a few houses down from Troy's. After that, they would usually go back to Troy's and start watching television, or play foosball or pool.

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"So who's your Valentine?" asked Greg. He had the soccer ball, and was crossing it over to John.

"Sadly, Natasha," John replied, "I just didn't have the heart to turn her down when she asked me."

"(cough) Softy! (cough)" Jason laughed out, jumping at the ball that John had just tried to kick at him. With a dramatic fall, he caught it and threw it over to Troy, who was now heading towards Greg once he'd gotten control of the ball.

"Shut up! What would _you _have done?" John asked again.

"Well, since she already has, about…" he ticked the numbers off with his fingers, "fourteen Valentines, I probably would've turned her down!" said Jason, chuckling.

The other boy sneered at him.

"How 'bout you, Troy?" asked Greg, again.

"Huh?" he asked, snapping out of his trance.

"Your Valentine. Who is it?"

"Um, I don't have one," he said, kicking the ball in between the trees they used as goal posts. Greg jumped for the ball, but missed, giving Troy a goal.

"Well, we all know who Troy wants as a Valentine, which is probably why he doesn't have one – he hasn't asked her yet," said John with a smirk.

The basketball star's head jerked up, his eyes a little wide.

"Who?" he immediately asked, with a jumpy demeanor. He noticed his frantic mien, and then outwardly relaxed a little, though his heart was drumming in his ears. "I – I mean, who?"

"The one that rejected Greg," he replied, having the ball kicked, landing neatly in front of him.

"Who might that be?" the brown haired boy asked, trying to steal the ball from John.

"Ice Princess," Greg simply answered with a 'duh' kind of voice.

"What!" Troy tripped over the ball, and fell face first onto the fresh grass. He spat off the green that'd attached itself to his lips, then, he pushed himself up, laughing nervously. "Ahahaha! Ahaha! Aha! Me? Want Sharpay? Ice Princess! Ahahahaha! Ha."

"Dude, your laugh is lifeless," said Jason with a shake of his head.

"C'mon Troy, admit it. You like her, and you want her to be your Valentine. I even admit, she could be a total babe if she weren't so damn cold, but, she _is_ who you like. Just say it," John taunted.

"I won't say anything I don't mean," Troy said in a sing song voice.

"See? You're singing! That's Sharpay's thing!" announced Greg, who was on the other side of the field.

"C'mon man. We all know. My sleepover last week? We were all laughing at you! You were moaning Sharpay's name, and cuddling the freakin' pillow!" Jason said, with a laugh.

"I told you! They were… nightmares!" Troy said, stealing the ball from John, yet again. He kicked it to Greg, missing the side of the goal post by… a lot.

"Right, and that's why you were _moaning _her name," said John.

"It was a very_ vivid_ nightmare!" Troy defended himself, his face getting warm.

"Yeah. And that's why you take a break every ten minutes at basketball practice. You disappear for another ten minutes, and it just so happens that we find you in the auditorium when Sharpay's on stage!" Greg joined the taunting, punting the ball to John.

"It's fun to see the drama geeks make mistakes!" Troy said, getting redder.

"Mmhmm, and that's why you secretly leave secret admirer notes in Sharpay's locker!" Jason said.

"I don't do that. No, seriously, I don't," Troy had said honestly – the first honest thing he'd said at the time.

"Yeah, but it'd be really funny if you did!" Jason laughed out.

Troy's face warmed, and he was now mad, and embarrassed.

All of the boys were now either laughing, or taunting him in some way about the girl he wouldn't admit he liked. They began to sing the age old taunting song, which had truly set the boy off.

"Troy and Sharpay sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes-"

Troy had flared up, his eyes narrowing, with his face red in embarrassment and frustration. A murderous and plain angry look on his face had taken over the once jaunty look. To sum it all up, he was pissed – big time.

With all his might, Troy kicked the ball into the air, and everyone watched it land in the tree they'd used as a goal post – the really, _really_ tall tree.

"Dude! That's my brother's ball! He's gonna kill me when he finds it missing!" Greg said, frantically.

"And rightfully so," Troy said with a sneer, stomping off to his house – which was only three houses away from the park they'd been playing at.

"Try kicking the tree," Jason suggested. Nothing had happened but the shaking of branches.

With his back turned to the park, Troy had actually walked home with a smile, knowing he wasn't the only one that was pissed off about something that day.

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Later on, the boys had come back to Troy's place anyways, begging for forgiveness.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," replied Troy, chewing on a Milky Way.

"But, you know, I think Sharpay's cute. She's just bitchy is all," John said, taking a sip of his soda.

"Yeah. But…. She wasn't always like that," Troy mumbled.

"When was she ever _not_ an Ice Princess? I remember clearly in second grade that she wouldn't share any of her building blocks with me," Jason said, grudgingly.

"Well_, maybe_ she always was. But there were times where she wasn't," said Troy in her defense.

"Yeah? And when? She tore my heart in two today! Literally! And you made my day worse by losing my brother's soccer ball!" said Greg in anguish, taking out the ripped heart shaped, Valentines card.

"Well, when I broke my ankle in fifth grade, she was the first to come to me and help me," Troy said, ignoring Greg.

John rolled his eyes.

"Because it was you! She liked you then. We're just not so sure about now since she's acting… like very much of herself lately."

"Yeah but, okay, she leant _me_ a few building blocks in second grade," Troy offered.

"Again. Just _you,_" said Greg, in a bored 'we already went over this' manner.

"Well, you can believe what you want – but I'm just saying… maybe she's not as bad as she… projects - sometimes," Troy added, shoving the last piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"Whatever. All I can say is, you like her, and –"

"Just shut up about that, okay? Off the subject of Sharpay Evans!" he said, cutting John off.

To get on his nerves, Greg whispered to Jason loud enough so it was audible to everyone in the room.

"Do you hear the way his voice softens when he says 'Sharpay Evans' it's so loving and – **_OW_**!" he exclaimed. A pillow had just been thrown at him by Troy with the same force he'd used on the soccer ball.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, chugging down his Coke can.

"Now that that's settled, let's do homework now! I am not doing it alone – I need somebody to copy off of," said Jason, grabbing his backpack.

The other boys groaned, throwing their homework on the coffee table, taking out their pencil cases.

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_Meanwhile down the street at the Evans residence…_

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Leann, another drama geek, sat on Sharpay's futon, her legs crossed, as Sharpay sat on her bed, flipping through the newest issue of '_Seventeen'_.

"Where is Hannah? I told her not to be late," said Sharpay, her eyes scanning the magazine.

"Oh, she's probably just finishing her homework," Leann reassured her.

"Tardiness is not an option," the Ice Princess said, now focusing on one page.

Leann now was lying down, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't have a Valentine yet. Do _you_ have a Valentine yet?" she asked, sitting up once again.

"No," Sharpay answered coolly. "I've had five jocks ask me repeatedly, but none of them were the right one."

"Really? No one's asked me," she said, looking down with her green orbs for eyes.

"And that, my friend, is why you are here today. For a makeover," replied the pretty blonde girl. She looked up briefly, looking at Leann's dark brown hair, which was quite a mess that'd been put to waste. She looked back down at her magazine, obviously bored.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Sharpay. I mean, I really want at least _one_ person to ask me to be their Valentine. Well… that'd be bad because I'd say no, - unless it was the right guy," she sighed.

"Oh yeah? I'm waiting for the right guy to ask me. Who's the right guy for you?" said Sharpay with interest, but her eyes remained glued to the magazine. She was no longer reading, but listening intently.

"Oh… well… um… I don't really wanna say…" said Leann shyly.

"Say it!" Sharpay exclaimed forcefully, her head snapping up. "I mean, say it," she said, returning back to the sugary sweet voice, looking back down at her magazine.

"Well… Troy Bolton…" the other girl replied.

Before Sharpay could rant about how, and why, Leann shouldn't choose Troy, and how he was surely to be_ her_ Valentine, she bit her tongue back. In the nick of time, Hannah burst through the door, panting.

"Sorry I'm late!" she said tiredly, plopping down onto the pink carpeting.

"You should be," she said, giving her famous icy glare.

The dirty blonde rolled closer to Leann, fearfully backing away from the Ice Princess.

"Now then, let us begin," Sharpay said, her face turning all sweet and nice again. She took out a large, pink, metal box, dragging it out from under her desk. Unfastening the latch, she opened it, and three bay mirrors popped out, giving way to seven racks of makeup, filled with blush, nail polish, and any other cosmetic items you could think of.

The other two stared in awe at the box, while Sharpay smiled in satisfaction.

"Now, Leann, let's paint those nails," she said, eyeing her own nail polish collection. In the depths of her mind, she remembered to make sure that Leann wasn't too pretty, for she couldn't have someone taking what, or who, was rightfully her's – but, of course, she wouldn't let anyone know that.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Hope you liked that chapter. You may not see it, but it's a little important to the rest of the story. Please leave review if you can.


	3. Ch 3: Almost

And, here's the next chapter!

Remember, this is all still within the flashback.

I hope you enjoy…

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_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 3: Almost_**

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Troy rose early that morning, on the thirteenth of February. He did his daily early morning routine; taking a shower, getting dressed, and so on and so forth.

Dressed in his usual attire, composed of jeans, a shirt, and a track jacket, he started downstairs, the way he usually did – his backpack slung lazily over his right shoulder, a yawn creeping its way through his mouth.

He went in through the walkway, and into the kitchen, gathering curious looks from his parents.

His father was reading the sports article in the newspaper, leaning on the counter, waiting to retrieve the toast from the toaster, and his mother was just finishing scrambling eggs.

He'd usually walked downstairs to his mother wailing, "TROY, YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE!", and his father tossing the newspaper down, swallowing the last piece of his toast.

"Good morning, honey," his mother said, placing two pancakes, some scrambled egg, and two pieces of bacon on a plate. She settled it before him, as he took his seat on the island. He sat there for snacks after school, too, just to watch TV. The island gave a perfect view of it, since it was attached to the wall and ceiling.

"'Morning," he replied, giving his mother a smile, picking up a fork.

"Hey, son," Coach Bolton began, putting his newspaper down in order to get a view of his son, "you're up a little early today, aren't you?"

"Yup," he answered vaguely, flipping through channels as he stuffed food in his mouth, taking breaks to drink milk.

The coach looked at his wife, who looked up from the stove to look back at him.

A ring was heard, signaling the ready toast. Troy's father placed the toast on one plate, placing it in the center of the island.

"Did you have a good sleep?" asked his mother, never losing eye contact with her husband as she continued to place breakfast on the table.

"Yes," he replied, his eyes not moving from the TV.

His mom passed by her husband, nudging him with her elbow, as she placed the plate before him, giving him 'the look'. He nodded vigorously jerking his head towards the archway to the living room. She walked out of the room, giving her husband a 'look' again.

Troy seemed absolutely oblivious to his surroundings, but, from the corner of his eye, he'd seen everything, but didn't know what they could possibly be… motioning about.

"Ahem," his father excused, trying to capture his attention.

"Yeah, dad?" he asked, finally turning his head from the TV, but only slightly.

"Son, did you have any… you know… dreams last night?" the coach asked, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Uh, no," replied Troy, shaking his head.

"Not about sports… basketball… a TV show… girls… sports… you know? Any dreams?" Coach Bolton asked again shrugging, playing innocent.

Troy now looked skeptical.

"What was the second last one?"

"A TV show?" he asked.

"No, the _second last one_," said the young athlete, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Uh… ah, well, _girls,_ Troy. Have you had any dreams about_ girls_ lately? And are your… bed sheets… clean…?" asked his father, choking on a few words – well, basically all of them.

"_Dad!_" Troy exclaimed, his face red. "No dad, I didn't have a – a – a wet dream last night! That's not why I got up early this morning…"

His father sighed in relief.

"Alright! Okay! That's good – I mean, son, it's a normal part of life, and you shouldn't be embarrassed about it if you have them," said his father, his stressful face gone.

Troy wasn't listening anymore. He ate, his thoughts drifting somewhere else. Why _had_ he woken up early?

"_You know, actors and actresses are never late – that's not the way things are in the theatre. Why do you think my brother and I are always on time?"_

'_Riiiight… that's why I woke up early…'_ he recalled, nodding.

"…. And don't hesitate to come to me, alright? I'm a man, you're a man, we're men, and since I'm a man, I can tell what happens on your way to becoming a man," his father finally finished.

Troy continued to nod, ignoring what his father had just said.

"I'm going to go now," said Troy, standing up, bringing his cleaned out plate and glass to the sink.

"Son, the bus doesn't come until seven forty-five," his father said in reply, picking up his newspaper.

"Oh, I'm gonna take the bike. Need some more exercise for the game against West," he replied, jogging up the stairs to brush his teeth.

He came back down, grabbing his bag and running out the door with a quick goodbye to his parents.

"So? You talked it over with him?" Mrs. Bolton asked the coach.

He smiled proudly at her.

"I think he absorbed everything pretty well," Mr. Bolton replied with a father's grin.

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Pedaling fast, Troy had zoomed right past the park, of which he remembered still held the soccer ball high in its tallest tree. He neared Natasha Brown's place, which was two doors away from Greg's and John's. Jason lived closer to him.

He zoomed past a black Jaguar, who'd honked at him, once he pulled into the school's driveway.

'_Little cranky, aren't we?'_ thought Troy, with a shake of his head.

He smiled, looking around at the empty school scenery, few children walking around and talking.

Troy walked his bike to the bike rack, locking it onto the rail. He headed towards the entrance of the school, pushing through the doors. Habitually, he held the door open while he walked in, just in case anyone was trailing behind him.

"Excuse me," called a stiff, yet soft voice – the voice that could only match the physically flawless Sharpay Evans.

He turned around, his hand on the door still. He moved out of the way, watching the owner of the voice glide through very elegantly. The blonde sent a warm smile his way, then stopped abruptly, the blonde boy behind her slamming into her back. Both fell to the ground, a heap of twins on the 'ancient floors' of East Middle School.

"Eww, get off me, get off me, _GET OFF ME!_" cried Sharpay, as her brother stood up quickly, dusting himself off.

Troy ran to the girl, holding her hand, and helping her up.

"Thanks," she said with a shy smile, one you would never find on that girl's face. "I – I mean," thanks," she replied in a colder tone.

"No problem," the boy replied with a goofy smile, his fingers still entwined with her's.

They looked at each other for one moment, a strange silence taking over.

"Um, Troy, you can let go now," she said, looking down at their still attached hands.

"Oh – sorry," he replied with a blush, pulling his hand away.

"That's okay," she said, smiling back.

'_Whoa. Who is this! This is **not **Sharpay! I guess she likes it when a guy's early to school!'_ he thought, glad he'd come early. So the early bird really did always catch the worm… or the 'Drama Queen Hottie'.

"You're here early," she said, walking along, expecting Troy to follow her – which he had done.

Ryan stood behind, and shrugged, walking to his own locker, located on the other side of the hallway.

"Yeah. Well, I woke up early. 'Cause a felt like it though. I didn't have any weird dreams – like my dad thought this morning – he thought –", he stopped himself, blushing and grinning boyishly again.

Sharpay giggled, opening her locker, pulling out the necessary books needed for the first class of the morning – which was a half an hour away.

Troy leant against the locker next to her's, casually, his palm rested on one, his legs crossed as he continued to make Sharpay blush and giggle.

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"Holy cheeseit's, you've gotta be kidding me! You woke me up early for _this_?" Jason groaned from behind the wall, his friend's head popped out from the corner. He leant against the wall, yawning tiredly.

"Yeah, I did! Its Troy's fault I'm gonna die! I've gotta dig up some dirt on him – you know, so I can blackmail him into explaining to my brother about what _he_ did. Plus, we can bug him about it later, and he'll finally realize that everybody knows that he likes Sharpay! Oh, and lookie here! He's _flirting _with her!" said Greg, mocking Sharpay's giggles.

"Seriously?" Jason asked, poking his head around the corner, looking at the two. "Damn! That's more action than I'll ever get in my short, seventh grader life!"

"Yeah. That is too true," replied Greg, earning a smack on the back of the head from the brunette boy.

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"So, Sharpay," Troy began, his voice reverting from it's smoothness into a lumpy, and squeaky one.

"Hmm? I mean – what?" she asked, snapping out of her gaze at him.

Troy smiled in satisfaction, glad to see her flustered at the sight of him.

"Well… I was wondering if – do you have -? "

"SHARPAY!" came Leann Perkins' voice, more confident than ever.

The blonde turned her head towards the once unkempt girl.

Today, Leann wore a pair of white, ribbed flare pants, and an orange collar shirt that hugged her body. Her hair was tied back in a neat, and simple ponytail, straightened out, revealing her confident face that'd been hiding all along – until Sharpay had stepped in to help her. And, apparently, this was the least conservative Leann had ever been in her life.

The girl stopped right before the two, as Sharpay shut her locker rather hard.

"What is it?" Sharpay asked in an annoyed voice, showing that she was getting colder as the morning grew later.

The brunette ignored her.

"Hi Troy," she said with a wave of her hand, though he was right in front of her.

"Uh, hi," Troy replied with a nod, and an attempted smile.

Sharpay was about to step in, but, obviously, she'd been kicked out of her own conversation.

"How do I look?" Leann asked, scratching her cheek, showing off her nail polished hands in an attempted casual manner. The blonde rolled her eyes, her arms crossed, looking expectantly at Troy – expecting that he would say nothing – _hoping _that he would say nothing.

"You look…." Troy was lost for words. He didn't really know what to say, and he didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings, or give Sharpay the wrong idea. So, he went with the simplest answer.

"You look… good," he said, trying to muster up a smile. He failed.

Leann giggled.

"Thanks," she replied.

The prettier, blonde, girl looked at him with hurt eyes.

"I'm going to go to the music room – to see if Kelsi's there, or something," she said, trying to find an excuse to get away.

The basketball player had already seen it.

She'd taken what he'd said to Leann the wrong way, and being the Drama Queen Sharpay was, that'd had quite an impact on her.

"Sharpay –"

"I'll see you later," she interrupted him, spinning around, and walking away.

Obviously, the brunette had no idea what was going on.

"See you later Troy," she said, in an attempted 'flirty' voice. And, yes, she failed. She hurried off after the blonde who was giving off heavily negative vibes.

Troy turned and began to hit his head on the lockers.

"Ugh… dammit, dammit, dammit, _DAMMIT!_" he cursed, kicking the wall. "So close… I was that close…" he whispered to himself, walking away.

From around the corner, the two other boys watched.

"What just happened?" Jason asked, oblivious to the dramatic scene that'd just taken place before him.

"Troy just screwed up his chances of getting his dream girl as a Valentine is what happened!" Greg told his friend, with a shake of his head.

"Oh. That's not good," said Jason in realization.

"No. It's great. Just great," Greg said with a roll of his eyes, standing straight.

"Why? I thought that was a bad thing," Jason said, with a raise of his eyebrow.

Another smack met the back of his head.

"I was being sarcastic, you idiot!" said Greg with another shake of his head, wondering just how he and his friends could remedy what'd just happened.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and, please leave a review on your way out if you can.


	4. Ch 4: Beginning to Plot

Aloha, fellow fanfiction readers.

In response to your reviews, thanks so much - they motivate me. To all of you who've been waiting, here's your update! Oh, and sadf happy belated b-day!

This chapter is a little important to the plot, though it's not that eventful.

Well, here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it!

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 4: Beginning to Plot _**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

Classes were to begin a quarter after eight, and Troy still remained at his locker, sluggishly dumping textbooks into his bag. He was staring at the back of his own locker, randomly taking books out, stuffing them into his bag. In deep thought, he would not be pulled out of his trance – people knew well enough something was wrong when he was not peppy, or flashing his 'Troy Bolton smile' – the extremely attractive one. So, people stared at the boy's back as they walked along the halls, whispering to each other, "What's with Bolton?"

Yes indeed, that was a question that was already eating away at the gossipers gossip-filled minds. They'd already begun to devise stupid stories like, "non mature bladder… probably wet his bed, and he's upset" or, "his parents found out his '_little secret'_," or, "_'blank_' turned him down". The 'little secrets' and 'blanks' had already begun to mean all sorts of things – the blanks began to fill in as; it was some girl in eighth grade named Kelly, or another in seventh named Stacie, or another named Leann, yeah, _that_ Leann,_ or_ , a seventh grade _boy_ named Jerald. Under the 'little secret' category was, he was either a druggie who took steroids, a bisexual, or just gay – not the 'happy gay', the _other _gay. Either way you looked at it, Troy Bolton's unusual silence was a bad thing.

"Hey, Troy!" hollered Greg, turning the corner he'd been hiding behind, Jason trailing after him. His bag was slung over his shoulder, and he was casually sauntering over to Troy's locker.

The boy turned his head, and then faced his locker again.

"Hey," he replied in a board voice.

"What's up?" asked Jason, putting on a smile.

"Nothing. Nothing much," he said continuing on with his business.

"Uh… dude… your bag is overflowing," Jason called to his attention.

Troy looked down, nodding, seeing books already on the floor, his back about to burst at the seams.

"Oh."

He began to unpack, practically tossing the books into his locker.

"So, man, my brother, he hasn't noticed the disappearance of his soccer ball yet. Is there any way that you can get it back – or at least explain to him that it was your fault, before he does?" Greg joked.

"Sure," the boy simply answered, nodding.

He decided to begin to make his locker neater, rearranging the books so they were perfectly in line.

Greg looked worriedly at Jason, his grey eyes widening, signaling that the brunette boy talk.

"Hey dude, so, we saw you with Sharpay a few minutes ago," Jason began, earning an elbow from Greg. He gave an 'I didn't mean _that!_' look to him. That didn't stop him.

Troy stopped cleaning and looked at Jason, then back at his pile of books. He continued to organize them.

"Yeah? What about it?" the boy asked back, his eyes glued to his books. Some life had spurred into his voice at the mention of Sharpay's name.

"Nothing. Just, it's so obvious now, you know? I mean the way you were flirting with her and, stuff – you know, obvious you like her," said Jason trying to think of more good points he'd picked up out of the little scene.

Troy gave out an airless laugh.

"Well, you know, it doesn't matter anyways, does it? She doesn't like me," he said shrugging, with a pained voice.

"How would you know?" Greg said, interjecting himself into the conversation.

"Because, Greg, _because_. Because I said something stupid, and she took it the wrong way," he replied with a shake of his head. "I said Leann looked… 'good', but I didn't mean it in any way Sharpay thought. I mean, she's got to know I don't like _her – _Leann I mean. I was just saying that to be nice! What was I supposed to say anyways? 'Do I care? Can you leave? I'm trying to have a conversation here!'" He sighed, pausing. Then, he continued. "And now, I don't have a chance. I mean, after all that talking and stuff, she had to know – Sharpay – she had to figure out that I don't like – don't like anyone else," Troy said, flushing. His eyes widened, signaling he knew he'd already revealed way too much.

"So – hold on, wait a second. You're admitting – _admitting_ – that you like Sharpay?" Jason asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

Troy didn't answer. His reddening face was all the answer they needed.

"Hah! We knew you'd crack under the pressure!" Greg exclaimed with a laugh.

"Okay, you guys, shut up. _Maybe_ I'm saying it," he said, shutting his locker, turning away. He picked up his properly packed bag, swinging it over and onto his shoulder, the red that once inhabited his face disappearing. "And, _maybe_ I'm saying, it can never, and would never, happen," Troy finished with a shrug.

The warning bell rang, and Troy was off to his homeroom, getting lost in the crowd.

The other two, being in his homeroom as well, trailed behind him with a shrug.

"Hey guys!" John exclaimed from behind them, placing his hands on their shoulders. They jumped, turning back, and whacking him with their backpacks. "Ow! What'd I miss…" the boy asked, rubbing his shoulder with a hurt look on his face.

"It was awesome. Troy came early, and then, he and Sharpay were flirting," Jason began, "and then, that Leann girl came along, then Sharpay got all mad because Troy said Leann looked good, and then Sharpay stormed off, and then Troy admitted that he liked her-"

"- In not so many words, but he did," Greg added.

"- Yeah, and, then, he was like all, 'it can never happen'," Jason finished in a mock-Troy voice.

"Wow," John said, with a surprised look on his face. "That was a boatload of info."

"Yep. Question is, what're we gonna do with it?" Greg asked with a shrug.

The three walked into homeroom along with another slew of students.

"Meet up with me at lunch. We've got lots of planning to do," said John, rubbing his hands together.

"Well, question is, is it worth it? I mean… do we really want Troy to be hanging with Sharpay all the time? It might take away from his concentration on b-ball, and –"

"Jason, Jason, Jason! This is not about us, it's about Troy. And if we were really his friends, we would help him out. He wants Sharpay," he whispered the girl's name, "then we'll help him get her," John finished passionately.

"Wow. That was so beautifully fag-ish," Greg laughed out, taking a seat at the back of the class. Sharpay was seated on one side of the room, with a group of drama geeks huddled around her, while Troy sat alone on the other end, in the second row, scrambling to complete his homework.

"Shut up!" John exclaimed, smacking the back of his friend's head. "So, I guess you don't want your soccer ball back?"

"Hell yeah I do! But, how?" Greg jumped, forgetting the pain that still stung the back of his head.

"It's all in the plan, dude. It's all in the plan," he replied, taking a seat as the final bell rang.

The teacher turned the TV on, the students turning to watch the school's own news team's morning broadcast.

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John sat behind the school at one of the lunch tables, the yard filled with students due to the beautiful weather.

Under the shade of a tree, he awaited his friends.

He saw Troy, and almost called out to him, but decided against it. Instead, the basketball school's star player went to the small basketball court, where a few new students were playing.

Jason finally made his way to the table, a tray in his hands.

"Where's Greg?" asked John, sitting up.

"He's down there at the court playing with that new guy – Chad – Chad Danforth? Yeah, him. He's pretty good, actually," Jason continued, taking a seat.

"Well, tell him to get his butt down here -! Wait, here he comes," John finished, stuffing four French fries into his mouth.

"Dude, that Danforth kid's not bad! I guess Coach Dawson'll be forcing him onto the team! Hey, and it looks like he's buddying up with Troy," Greg said, taking a seat.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's a good person. Now, anyways, the plan!" John continued, getting to the point.

"I'm getting my bro's soccer ball back, right?" Greg asked immediately.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up already, will you?" said John with a roll of his eyes. "Anyways, tomorrow's a half day, right? School lets out a quarter past twelve, and all the girls usually go shopping - especially tomorrow because of Natasha's party. But, I'm almost positive Sharpay isn't."

"Why's that?" Jason asked, sipping his soda through a straw, still listening with interest.

"Because, she always wants to keep physically fit," John said with a smirk. "Therefore, exercise is necessary, right? Well –"

The baseball jocks had been playing on the baseball diamond, when Matt Jefferson, team star, had hit a triple grand slam. This had only been possible because of the baseball's far travel – and it had landed itself quite hard on John's lunch, causing a small explosion of ketchup, french fries, and hamburger.

"_What the hell_?" he exclaimed, looking down at his shirt, splattered with soda, ketchup, and French Fries.

"Sorry bout that dude," called Matt, with a smile.

"It's cool," he said, still looking angry.

"Dude, just finish tellin' us the plan!" Greg said, urging his friend to finish.

"After school and at the park. I've gotta get this crap off of me," John replied, slapping some fries off of his shirt.

Jason rolled his eyes, as John stood and ran off to the nearest bathroom. Greg shrugged, and both began to clean up, walking into the school.

"What d'you think his plan is?" Jason asked.

"I dunno," Greg replied, "but, I just want my bro's soccer ball back!"

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TO BE CONTINUED

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And so you see, there is a reason I put in John's clothes being spilled all over! You won't find out the plan until the next chapter… maybe…

Anyways, hope you enjoyed that chapter, and please review on your way out if you can.


	5. Ch 5: Kissable Lips and a Plan

I'm back!

Looks like I'm losing reviews… I only got six for the last chapter… but, thank you to all those who made the effort!

Well, I hope you'll all enjoy, and review, this chapter and the upcoming ones.

I hope you enjoy!

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 5: Kissable Lips and a Plan_**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

Troy had attended school that day, upbeat and happy. Now, he was moping, and sulking, pedaling home on his bike slowly.

He was so preoccupied with his depression that he didn't even notice the lack of his friends' daily presence.

He just couldn't help but go back to that conversation he'd had with Sharpay, and regret that he'd had to meet everyone's expectations of 'the nice guy', and lose his chance with Sharpay.

_-Earlier That Morning-_

Troy stood with his smoothest smile, leaning casually against the locker next to the blonde's.

There they were, just talking, something nobody ever dared to do with the Ice Princess. She seemed so alive, and so spirited and bubbly when she wasn't around others. She just wasn't herself… or, she was, but just not the way she was with everyone else.

The school's basketball star had finally convinced himself that Sharpay was the ideal girl for him. Talking to her alone had already enforced what he'd been thinking about. Everything about her was what he wanted, what he'd pictured himself with, even at his young age.

She had been a thirteen year old boy's perfect picture of a girl. She was pretty, and every inch of her physical attributes were attractive. Her flowing blonde hair reaching her shoulders looking silky smooth, her creamy white skin without a blemish, predictably as soft as a baby's bottom, her dark brown eyes that could be either intimidating or just so soft, and playful, and her lips…

'_Her lips…'_ Troy thought, looking the girl over. He was now staring at her mouth, seeing it move, yet, not hearing a word out of it.

Her lips looked so soft and… kissable.

He began to blush at the thought, blinking, while he continued to stare in awe.

"Troy? Is there something in my teeth?" Sharpay giggled with a blush, flashing him an attractive, pearly white smile.

"Uh, what?" he asked, snapping out of his gaze.

'_Oh God, that was weird. Note to self: do not stare at the lips of the girl you like!'_ he thought, mentally kicking himself.

Playing along, Troy bent in to take a look at her teeth, teasingly.

"No! No, of course not. There's nothing in your teeth. You're perfect – they're – they're perfect," he stuttered out in a mess, his face warming once again.

Sharpay only giggled again, eyes shining.

'_Playful eyes,'_ thought Troy with a smile. '_Kissable lips. You know you want 'em… you know you want to put your own dry, chapped lips over her glossy, ever so soft lips… '_ he thought again. He licked his lips, wetting them at the thought. At that very moment, he could've sworn he'd seen that little devil on their shoulder on his shoulder, whispering into his ear.

A football had spiraled its way to Sharpay's locker, and she caught it easily with a raise of her hand. She narrowed her eyes at the culprit who was shocked, and obviously had meant for it to hit her.

"Watch it, bucko," she said throwing the ball with much force.

The boy caught it, as it landing hard on his chest, and he ran away with the wind knocked out of him.

Troy quickly shook his head, trying to clear all thoughts of Sharpay's perfect features out of his head, hoping she hadn't been looking at him when he licked his lips. He was also surprised at her hidden athletic ability, which was another quality that he'd just fallen in love with.

"So, did you finish your 'diagramming sentences' homework? You know how Mr. Moore gets a kick out of giving to detentions these days," said Sharpay, mindlessly flipping through the outfits in her locker, acting as if the incident that'd just taken place never happened.

"What? We had homework?" Troy asked panicking. Obviously it'd slipped his mind when he was at basketball practice, thinking about her.

"Yeah," she replied, nodding at him.

"Oh, well I didn't do, so I'm probably going to end up in Mr. Moore's torture chamber," replied Troy, calming down a little. "I didn't understand the homework anyways. I mean, diagramming sentences? When'll we ever use that skill? It's not like when we're getting interviewed for a job, they're gonna hand us a story asking us to diagram all the sentences," he babbled on.

Sharpay let out a soft chuckle. She comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder, making Troy want to melt under her touch. He felt the warmness under her hand, through his track jacket, and shirt.

'_How could someone so… 'cold' be so… warm?'_ he thought inquisitively.

"Don't worry. I'll help you – I've got all the answers down, and I'm pretty sure I'm right about all of them," she said, with a bright smile.

Troy had resisted the urge to give her a huge bear hug – therefore getting much closer to those lips…

"Really? You don't have to – you know, if you don't want to," he said, in a rushed voice.

"No, no, I'd love to help the school's basketball star," Sharpay replied taking her hand off of his shoulder, she closed her locker, and picked up her bag.

"Thanks…" he said, wanting hold her hand to feel her warmth once again.

A strange moment ensued, as Troy just found himself staring into Sharpay's eyes, while she stared back into his.

He finally broke the silence, weakened by her.

"So, Sharpay," Troy began, his voice reverting from it's smoothness into a lumpy, and squeaky one.

"Hmm? I mean – what?" she asked, snapping out of her gaze at him.

Troy smiled in satisfaction, glad to see her flustered at the sight of him.

"Well… I was wondering if – do you have -?"

Then, brunette girl had come, hollering Sharpay's name, signaling the end of his chances with the Ice Princess.

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Troy jumped off of his bike, wheeling it over to the backyard. He dropped it carelessly on their grass, and entered the house, grabbing a soda out of the fridge. He slumped down on the couch with a frown, slowly sipping on his beverage, while he flipped the TV on.

A commercial went on, with a lady at a kitchen counter, trying to chop away at some meat with a dull knife. She lifts her head and faces the camera.

"_So, I was cutting up the pork chops, right? And then, you know my knife's not sharp right? So, whatever am I to do?" _

_A Canadian Mounty ccomes up to her with a box. _

"_Why, use our product, eh!" he said, opening in the box, revealing sharp, and shining knives. _

"_Oh, dear, they're beautiful!" the lady said. _

"_Only 'cause they're **'Sharp, Eh'**!" the Mounty winked at the camera. "Use them on any kinda food – vegetables, meat, and fruit - whatever you wanna cut up, eh!" _

"_Oh, thank you Mr. Canadian Mounty sir! How can I ever repay you?"_

"_Just tell all your friends about **'Sharp, Eh'**, eh!" he now faced the camera, holding up the box next to his face. "Just use **'Sharp, Eh'**, 'cause it's sharp, eh!" _

Troy now dreaded turning the TV on, thinking only about _'Sharp Eh'_ knives.

Oh, the irony of it all.

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John leant back against the tallest tree at the park, looking up into its branches, searching for the location of the soccer ball.

Greg looked up as well.

"It's pretty far up," he said slowly, with a little dread.

"No worries. My dad's an architect. I can borrow one of them tall ladders," John replied.

They finally spotted the spherical object high in the tree's branches.

"Tell us the plan already?" Jason whined, sitting on the ground, his legs crossed, Indian style.

"Okay, okay," the boy only replied, taking a seat.

"Alright, so here it is. Greg, you're pretty good at whining about your brother's soccer ball, so, what you're gonna do tomorrow is give Troy the guilt trip – a heavy one. Just beg him, and you know he'll drop by and see how far up that ball is. I'll leave the ladder leant up against another tree so he'll use it," John said, jutting his head over to the nearest tree.

"Won't that be a little weird and random? I mean, a ladder on a tree?" Jason asked, lying back.

"Not necessarily. Tomorrow, my dad's company will be beginning to build up the new sign for the park since that one's rotting away," the boy said, pointing at the rusted, hanging sign at the front of the park. "They'll be attaching an interactive voice thingy in it for visitors, so they'll need to wire it to the electricity. Anyways, as I said, Troy will go up the ladder, get your stupid soccer ball, and then he'll come back down."

"Where does Sharpay come in?" Greg asked curiously, glad he'd be getting the soccer ball back.

"Well, she won't see Troy in the tree, and she comes here after school everyday, under this tree, to do 'Tai Chi', and her breathing exercises. She hasn't stopped since third grade – everyday – see?" John said, pointing at the tree with the initials, 'S. E.' which were much neater than any other initials carved in.

"Yeah, so when's the 'getting together' part?" asked Jason, pulling out some grass from the ground.

"Duh! _Confrontation._ Right when Troy comes down, Sharpay - she'll be there, he'll make a noise turning around, bringing the ladder back to the other tree, and then she'll see him, and then, they can't avoid talking," finished John, with finality.

"Oh," the other two said in unison.

"That's pretty well thought up," Greg commented.

"Yeah, and it'll work," said John with a smirk. "I know it will."

"Yeah, so, can we go to McDonald's now? I'm starved. And they've got those Hotwheel toys in the happy meals and…" Jason trailed off, the other two boys staring at him in disbelief. "Can we go now?"

The other two nodded, ready to fine tune, and initiate the next day's plan – but they'd have to act fast.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Hope you enjoyed that chapter.

Anyways, the 'eh' is pronounced the way that Canadians supposedly pronounce it. No offense to Canadians, 'cause I'm one too!

So, please leave a review on your way out, and I'll see you next chapter.


	6. Ch 6: Operation ‘Love Birds’

Hello all readers.

I am disappointed at the fact that I'm getting less and less reviews by the chapter. I see many that have this story on 'Alerts' or 'Favorites', and many of the usernames I see aren't reviewing. I do thank you for taking the time to read my story, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd take the time to review. The more reviews I get, the faster I update.

And, to _**all** _my reviewers, thank you very much for your reviews – you don't know how much they mean to me. And to my constant reviewers, **.X.Pheonix.X.**, and **Dragonskin Fool**, I thank you for being there for every chapter of my story

Anyways, enough with my selfishness about reviews, and onto the story!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, because the end is not far!

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 6: Operation 'Love Birds'_**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

Troy arrived early at school once again, only because of the fact that he couldn't sleep. Every few hours, he would wake up from a dream involving Sharpay and some other guy, or Sharpay beating him up – with those damn _'Sharp, Eh'_ knives.

Getting in the spirit of things, he'd worn a solid red polo shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans. His hands were wrapped tightly around the straps of his backpack as he walked over to his locker, few students around.

He quickly packed, his eyes rolling sideways every few minutes, watching some early bird students. Some were couples, holding hands, skipping down the hall, while others simply leant against each other with a dreamy look on their faces.

Troy finally completed packing, closing his locker, leaning against it, looking on in disgust.

'_God, will they all just **get a room**? Not all of us have who we want… it's not fair they do…'_ he thought.

So, the boy walked down the hallway, wanting desperately to get out of the school for some air – for, the love in the school was sickeningly strong.

He looked down at his feet, knowing that he envied everyone around him, though he couldn't admit it. Within seconds, he'd knocked into somebody, and he went stumbling backwards, though still on his feet.

"Hey, watch it, boy! You nearly walked into my '_Sharp, Eh'_-" came the voice of Mr. Andrews, the cooking teacher. "Oh, Troy! You're here unnaturally early today."

"Yeah," said Troy with a nod.

"Well, I'm just here to get these new _'Sharp, Eh'_ knives to the kitchen – you know, they cut great," he said with a warm smile.

The coincidence had gotten to Troy already. He'd heard enough of those _damned knives_.

"That's nice. I've gotta go – later, Mr. Andrews," he said dully, walking on, not wishing to hear more about the sharpness of _'Sharp, Eh'_ knives.

"Happy Valentines Day!" the teacher called after him as he walked down the hall. He rolled his eyes, now speed-walking down the hallway to the closest exit.

He shoved the doors open, feeling much better when the morning breeze met his face. He inhaled it, walking down to a lunch table, sitting down, glad he wouldn't be further suffocated by the sickeningly sweet love in the school.

Troy put his head down, and rested it against his arms, breathing in slowly.

"I know, I'm probably just jealous," he said to himself, in a muffled voice. "But it's not fair that Sharpay is snappily assuming, and overly dramatic. I mean… I was _this _close to asking her… but she probably would've iced me and said no anyways."

He finished talking to himself, and inhaled the outside air, watching the sun brighten more and more.

Troy walked into school, hoping the day wouldn't get too perky – and obviously, he knew that his hopes were always crushed, meaning he school would be filled with nothing _but_ perkiness.

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"Oh my gosh! There he is," Leann said, almost jumping up and down.

Sharpay stood at her locker, her eyes narrowed at the boy, her heart almost melting, and her knees almost buckling at the sight of him. But, she still refused to give in.

'_I mean, he'd obviously shown interest in Leann, so, I will not interfere. I don't need him anyways,'_ she thought, secretly thinking_, 'Oh my God, I need him – especially as my Valentine.'_

"Yay, whoopee," said Sharpay in a completely monotone voice.

"I know! I think I'm gonna ask him to be my Valentine. Should I ask him? Should I ask him _now_?" the girl asked perkily.

"You know, you were much better when you were less perky," said the blonde, avoiding the answer.

The brunette ignored her.

"I'm going to ask him," she said, walking over to the boy, who was now at his locker.

Sharpay almost pounced on the other girl, but refrained.

And, knowing Troy, he wouldn't reject Leann, being the good little, 'nice boy', he was.

The blonde merely sighed, as she watched the chances of ever having Troy as her own went down the drain.

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"Hi Troy!" called an overly happy voice from behind him.

He turned around to see Leann. He sighed, refraining from shaking his head vigorously, and automatically saying "NO" to whatever she was to say. He almost went 'Oh. It's you,' but refrained from that also.

"Hi," he replied. _'She's gonna ask me, and I'm gonna say yes aren't I?'_ he asked himself.

"So Troy, do you have a Valentine yet? Cause… I was thinking…" she got much quieter now, like her older self.

'_You know what Troy? Make a stand. No more mister nice boy,'_ he told himself.

"Actually, I was planning to ask someone out – and ask them to be my Valentine too," he said, nodding.

Leann's face fell.

"Oh, okay, okay, that's okay, that's fine. 'Cause… I was just gonna ask if you knew if Greg had a Valentine!" she covered up rather badly.

"Uh… no, no, he doesn't," he replied with a small smile.

"Oh okay, well that's good!" she said in a firm voice. Now she looked almost angry. She turned on her heel, not bothering to wish her 'past crush' a happy Valentines Day.

Troy gave out a sigh of relief, as he watched her walk back up to Sharpay – who, by the way, was looking just as gorgeous as she always was. He wanted to just saunter up to her and impress her, but held back, for fear of getting his head snapped off or something of the sort.

He turned back to his locker, the brunette girl's voice meeting his ears, in an angry_, "Troy Bolton is a jerk!" _

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"_Troy Bolton is a jerk!"_ said Leann, not afraid of who heard her.

Sharpay's face lit up, and then back down, as she kept her cool.

"Why's that?" she asked, blinking innocently, picking her bag up, and beginning to walk. The girl trailed behind her.

"_Because._ I thought he'd be somewhat _sensitive_ enough to say yes when I asked him to be my Valentine. I thought he was a nice guy, but looks can be very deceiving, and he does look very nice," Leann ranted.

"Why did he turn you down?" asked the blonde, now curious, almost agreeing with her at the 'he looks very nice' part.

"I don't know… he said he was gonna ask someone else, or something – but, whatever. Greg still doesn't have a Valentine. I'm sure he's not such a lug headed jerk," the brunette finished.

Sharpay smirked in satisfaction, hoping he'd turned Leann down for the reasons she thought. But, considering the way she'd over reacted the other day, there was some doubt in her mind.

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"Troy, Troy, Troy!" called Jason, jogging over to his friend.

"Yeah?" Troy asked turning around, to his friend who was waving a heart-shaped box around in the air.

"Dude, Happy Love Day," the boy replied, slowing his pace when his friend stopped.

"Valentines Day," Troy corrected with a smile.

"Whatever. Too lazy to say all the syllables," Jason replied.

Troy's eyes had since been directed to the box of chocolates in Jason's hand. He was now worried. Knowing Sharpay, she could've plotted revenge against Troy, and decided to be one of his best friend's Valentines. Considering the way his friends' minds worked, Jason probably wouldn't want the responsibility of getting Sharpay a Valentines gift, for, she was quite picky, and in second grade, she had rejected all Valentines Day cards given to her that she didn't like. But what would she plot revenge against Troy for? Knowing Sharpay, she'd probably made a story up about that in her head, therefore making it valid in some way for her to do so.

Well, Troy had now confused himself, so, being unusually neurotic, he popped the question.

"Who's the chocolate for?" he asked, secretly thinking it was Sharpay, hoping with every ounce of his will that it wasn't.

Jason looked at his friend strangely.

"For you, my darling," the boy replied, batting his eyelashes.

Troy stepped two yards away with one step.

Jason laughed, with a shake of his head, recovering.

"No dude, they're for Sharpay," he recovered from his little fit.

"**_WHAT?"_** Troy exploded, his eyes widening. He became short of breath, and his heart was pounding in his ears.

'_I knew it… I knew she'd do it! It's not fair… she didn't even give me a chance… I – I can't believe it… my best friend… why would she do this to me…? **Why would he do this to me**? Oh… I wanna just – I wanna die – I – I – I – **oh my God**…!'_ he thought, ready to hyperventilate.

"Troy? Troy! Troy, man, calm down," Jason commanded, concerned now, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, patting it. "Dude, I was just kidding!"

The star athlete's chest rose more easily, and he stopped wheezing, his face relaxing.

"What?" he asked blinking, beginning to breathe normally again.

"Yeah, I was _kidding._ Dude, I'd never be Sharpay's Valentine – are you kidding me? I'm _afraid_ of her! Plus, she's _your _girl! Boy – you should've seen your face – you were about to have a heart attack or something!" the brunette boy said, beginning to crawl into a fit of laughter again.

Now Troy blushed, knowing he'd given away too much from that little scene.

A few people were now staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah, I knew that. That – that you were kidding – not that she's my girl," Troy nodded quickly, with a sheepish smile. He now smirked, gladly stopping his friend's laughter. "So, who _is _that chocolate for?"

"Ah – what?" Jason asked, stopping suddenly, straightening.

"The chocolate. Who are they really for?" he asked again, patiently.

"Uh – ah – well, Kelsi…" Jason said, swallowing hard.

Before Troy had any time to laugh, Greg had slammed a hand on down his shoulder from behind him.

"Dude! Happy V-Day," said Greg with smile. Today, he wore a pink shirt over a white long sleeve, and a pair of beige cargo pants.

"Yeah, you too. By the way, Leann was gonna ask you to be her Valentine," said Troy, with smirk on his face.

"_YES!"_ Greg had sighed in relief. "Thank God! Now I won't be a Valentine-less loser! You know, everyone has a Valentine. You, like, can't not have a Valentine."

Troy dismissed his friend's words though they were eating him up inside. He still wondered how any boy would be happy to have Leann as a Valentine as she was now.

"Whatever. I don't care," he said. _'Besides, I don't wanna have a Valentine unless it's Sharpay.'_

"Right. Probably still hung up over Sharpay – don't you think?" Greg asked Jason.

"Duh," Jason said with a big smile.

"Shut up – both of you," said Troy with a roll of his eyes.

He spotted several couples holding hands on his way down the hallway.

The love was truly suffocating, now that there were more couples.

"So, Troy. About my soccer ball – you know, since it's Valentines Day, and you know, to show your friendship for me – do you mind – do you mind getting it - today?" asked Greg.

Jason looked at him with wide eyes and a 'bad timing' look, while Greg responded with a 'shut it, I know what I'm doing', look.

"Yeah, dude, I'm sorry about that. You know, I'll take care of it right before Natasha's party," Troy said with a nod.

Greg looked satisfied at hearing what his friend had just said – then, he thought about it.

"What? No, no! I – I mean, why wait? You know, right after school would probably be more convenient, it's a half day, and, I heard it's gonna be bad weather later on, so, you know, after school is probably the best decision," said Greg, franticly.

"Okay, man, _chill_. Alright, after school is fine. I don't see the difference though. I mean, you're getting that stupid soccer ball back anyways, right?" Troy let out a soft laugh, as the three walked into homeroom.

"It's for a good cause – trust me," said Greg with a smirk at Jason. Jason gave in a 'pretty good' look, while Greg gave back a 'duh', look.

"Whatever," finished Troy, taking a seat.

Jason had got up, and walked to Greg, leaning close to his ear, whispering roughly, though quiet enough so nobody could hear.

"Operation 'Love Birds' is a go in five," he said, and he backed away, Greg giving him a knowing look.

Both nodded, leaving Troy oblivious to his friends' plan.

The bell rang, signaling that the beginning of 'Operation 'Love Birds', was to be initiated soon.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave a review on your way out if you can.


	7. Ch 7: Operation Failed Right?

Hola.

I must say, I was satisfied with the amount of reviews I received for the last chapter, though they could've been more… (whistles). JUST KIDDING. Anyways, thanks for all of your reviews. I'm expecting some for this chapter…

Anyways, here it is! Enjoy!

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 7: Operation 'Love Birds' Failed – Right? _**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

The rest of the day had been completely uneventful.

Greg, Jason, and John sat in their seats fretfully, with half smirks planted on their faces, while Troy's hand rested under his chin, elbow against his desk, his face bored and expressionless.

Every time classes would change, Troy's three best friends would gather, exchange words and reminders of the plan, and would suddenly quiet down when Troy made his way over to them. Still, the basketball star remained completely oblivious to his friends' behavior, only paying notice to couples skipping down the hallways hand in hand.

An eighth grade couple began a make out session next to his locker, and he simply glared at them, knowing they couldn't see him.

"Disgusting," he would remark all the time, with a wrinkle of his nose.

His friends would roll their eyes, especially when they saw the look on their friend's face when Sharpay walked by.

They'd share a moment's glance, and then Sharpay would turn away coldly, only looking forward, while Troy let his head hang.

Throughout the day, many girls had come up to Troy asking to be his Valentine, and sometimes, Troy even found a love note or two in his locker. He carelessly paid no heed to them, and gently turned down all the girls that'd ask them, no matter how pretty they might've been.

Finally, the clock had struck twelve-fifteen, the sound of the dismissal bell ringing through the hallways, allowing all students' anticipation for the day's end to finally ease.

"Yes, yes, YES!" exclaimed Jason in joy, skipping to the school doors, his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Weekend, HERE I COME!"

"That was really gay, man," commented John, who'd been late that morning. He only snickered at the dark haired boy.

"Yeah, well at least I'm not a dumb blonde," Jason replied, sticking his tongue out.

John rolled his eyes, patting his fluffy blonde hair as if it were a pet.

"Shut it," he snapped quickly. "So, Troy, what're you up to on this beautiful half day? You obviously don't have any Valentines Day plans."

"And _I'm_ gay?" Jason let out under his breath.

John kicked his shin, and Greg kicked John's.

Looking up in confusion, the widening of Greg's eyes clearly gave the impression of a 'too much info' look.

"Ah nothing. Just gonna get that damned soccer ball back, then I'm gonna eat lunch," Troy replied, looking up at the blue sky, while he expertly twisted and turned his bike's' combination lock without a glance.

"Oh, okay," said John, withholding a smirk.

"Hey, look! It's Sharpay," said Jason to Greg in an audible whisper, meaning for Troy to hear it.

Ears perking up, his light blue eyes zoomed right over to the girl who was walking out of the building, her head held high.

Still looking cute, she wore stylish pink track set, her hair tied up in a messy bun – which looked quite neat. She held a glittery pink duffle bag, with her bag still on her back, walking as elegantly as one could while carrying so much. She took her time walking, hair bouncing with every step. The three boys wagered a guess that the 'Tai Chi' or 'Yoga' was responsible for her strength.

Troy's shoulders slumped, and he swallowed hard as she threw a glare at him. His heart skipped a beat. It would do that no matter _how_ Sharpay looked at him.

"Yeah, so I'm gonna get going. I guess I'll see you at Natasha's at seven?" Troy asked, mounting his bicycle.

"Yeah," the three replied at once, somewhat suspiciously.

Troy was unable to see past the suspicion – being distracted as he was.

"Oh, I'll see _you _earlier, once I get your soccer ball," Troy nodded at Greg.

Greg curtly nodded back at him.

"See ya," the boys said in unison, as Troy pedaled off to the park.

"We are so smart," Jason said with a proud shake of his head.

"No_, I_ am," John said, holding his head high.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's eat," said Jason, rubbing his stomach, walking on ahead.

John grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

"You really _are_ stupid, aren't you? We won't know if the plan worked or not if we don't watch it in action," he said, causing Jason to nod in realization.

"Riiiight… After we eat?" he questioned.

Greg rolled his eyes, shoving the boy forward, pushing him along to walk. "Troy'll be at the park in a few minutes, and so will Sharpay. Eating, especially for you, doesn't take two minutes."

"Meaning…?"

"UGH!" John and Greg groaned in unison, dragging Jason along.

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-------

Troy dismounted his bike, leaving it on the grass under a tree behind the bushes, the wheel still turning.

John, Greg, and Jason looked on, across the street.

The basketball star had seen many white vans with construction logos on them, and many uniformed men working on the tower not far from the tree the ball was in.

A new park sign was replacing the old one, and was almost finished by the looks of it.

Shrugging his surroundings off, he looked up into the leaves of the tree, trying to figure out how he was going to get to the ball. He'd already spotted it, but now getting up the tree was the problem.

"See, that's the ladder. Troy should be turning around to see it now…" John whispered to his friends, while pointing at the ladder leaning on the tree behind Troy.

While Troy's back remained turned, a man in a construction uniform pulled the ladder away from the tree, a donut sticking half out of his mouth.

John smacked himself in the head.

"Or not…" he whispered, looking rather nervous.

Troy now looked as if he'd gotten a good idea, and walked on closer to the tree.

Just then, Sharpay had come walking down the sidewalk, just a few yards away from the tree.

"How's he gonna get up there before she sees him?" Jason questioned worriedly.

"I don't know!" John irritably responded.

"Yeah, so much for 'smart', huh?" Greg jeered, earning a stomp on the foot from the blonde.

The white vans had gone away already, the park empty of uniformed men.

"Oh jeez, here she comes! She's gonna see him, I swear she will!" Jason said with sureness in his voice.

"Shut up!" snapped John, looking at the park. "What the…"

Troy had begun to climb up the tree, expertly stepping on the large twigs and branches lightly. A twig snapped, making the three boys wince. Troy held tightly onto the large branch on the bare part of the tree, his left foot still planted on a smaller branch.

Sharpay was now right on the other side of the tree, unpacking a small boom box, a yoga mat, and a bottle of Evian water.

John covered his eyes with his hand.

"Uh… let's go," he said, standing up.

"Why?" the other two boys asked.

"Because! If Troy gets hurt, it'll be all our fault, and I don't wanna be around to take the blame," said John with his hands up.

"Some friend you are," Greg remarked through narrowed eyes.

"C'mon! I'm hungry, let's eat!" he rushed, pulling his other two friends up, pushing them forward, and away from the park.

"Fine, but, if Troy gets hurt, it'll be your fault," said Greg.

"Only 'cause of _your _stupid soccer ball!" John replied in a sneer.

"Only 'cause_ you_ told me to tell him to get it!"

"Yeah, well, you know what? It doesn't matter because _'Operation 'Love Birds'' is a failure!"_

"And that's _your_ fault!"

And pointless bickering continued, while Jason fished a snack out of his bag, walking along.

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-------

Troy continued up the tree carefully, stepping over some branches and twigs, hearing them snap every few seconds. He'd been on the verge of falling several times, but had saved himself by grabbing onto the other branches and twigs for support.

'_Damn… I kicked the ball up this high? Maybe I should consider the soccer team…'_ he pondered with a smile, as he got closer to the soccer ball.

'_Cool,'_ he thought, finally spotting it, seeing it in its shining glory – just as it was the day he kicked it.

"Cool," he voiced aloud, now settling himself on a large branch. He heard a few snapping noises, but was not too worried.

"What was that?"

'_What was **that**?' _he thought himself, after hearing a voice from out of no where say exactly what he'd just thought. _'Sharpay's voice…'_ he confirmed.

'_Nah, probably just my imagination,'_ he thought with a nod, knowing he'd been hearing Sharpay's voice in his head the whole day.

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-------

Sharpay stopped with her breathing exercises, and her motions, looking up, thinking she'd heard somebody speak.

Nothing but a large amount of leaves met her eyesight.

She shrugged the noise off, almost thinking it was Troy that'd spoken.

'_You're just thinking about him – and that's why you're clearing your head now!'_ she told herself, continuing on.

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-------

Carefully pulling the soccer ball out from the branches, Troy stretched to assure its being in his hands.

Victorious, he grabbed it with a smile, beginning to move down slowly, hearing more twigs snap. He was now worried, looking down at the amount of leaves still in his way.

'_Can't see anything…'_ he thought, his grip on the soccer ball getting sweatier. He bit his bottom lip, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead.

'_Slowly… slowly…'_ he thought clearly, making much progress, as he carefully treaded through the green, having difficulty finding branches and twigs with all the leaves, now that he was actually looking at where he was stepping.

'_Almost…' _

_**SNAP**_

Suddenly, any hard and stable solids under Troy's feet were gone, and had snapped sending him hurtling into the ground.

He braced himself for the fall, forgetting that he ever had the soccer ball, and letting go, ready to feel the pain of the hard ground beneath the green grass.

_**THUD**_

And, surprisingly, there was no pain…

His head was nestled in something soft, and his body was perfectly intact, save for a few scratches on his face.

"Get off of me…" an icy cold voice quaked from beneath him, in a pained groan.

"Holy shit… Sharpay…" he whispered under his breath, finding his throat closed.

His face was beet red, and he'd realized he'd landed in Sharpay's bosom… which was quite more than the average seventh grade girl's…

'_Wow,'_ he thought, resisting the urge to…

"**_GET OFF OF ME!"_** she hollered, shaking him out of his thoughts.

He lifted his upper body up, still straddling the girl, not knowing it himself.

"I – I'm sorry…" he tried.

He was now looking down at a red Sharpay Evans.

He jumped off of her, feeling every part of his body grow somewhat warm.

"Uh – sorry!" he let out, embarrassed.

"What the hell were you doing in a tree?" she began, still lying down, though her upper body was up, since she propped it up with her arms. "First of all, I don't know why you'd be in a tree, and second of all, what the hell were you thinking? What, did you jump out on purpose? Are – are you a perv or something? What's wrong with you? That hurt too! A woman's…. area is very sensitive! You have no business using it as an… an airbag! You know…"

Sharpay continued on ranting, her face reddening by the second, while Troy dumbly nodded, blinking, not listening to a word she said.

'_Lips… those lips…'_ he thought again, just watching her mouth with every word.

All day, he hadn't gotten a clear view of Sharpay, and he was longing to see her eyes, her face, her lips – just _her _in general.

"… and you know what? I think I'm going to have to tell my father about this! And you know what? He won't be happy! And…."

'_Don't try… don't even think about it! … but they're so…'_ Troy thought, swallowing hard.

Without another thought, the boy placed his hands on her face, feeling her soft, and now warm, face.

Sharpay's eyes widened in confusion, her face heating up even more at the closeness of their faces. Troy stared into her eyes with raspy breathing, as he got closer, and inhaled her scent.

"Troy, what're you –"

He pulled Sharpay in for a kiss, lingering on her lips, their noses brushing, their foreheads touching.

A few seconds after, silence followed, and he finally pulled away.

He was left still staring at her dumbly, with a funny smile.

At first, the blonde had had a dreamy look on her face, her eyes half lidded, her cheeks rosy, and her smile sloppy, and goofy – like she had enjoyed the kiss.

Then, she went into embarrassed/serious mode.

And now, Sharpay sat, tomato red, and bit on her bottom lip.

Then, her eyes became passionate and fiery, and she looked hopelessly angry, her face now a fierce red.

Then, she began, yet again.

"I – you – you – who said you could do that? You know what, I really am gonna tell my dad! And you know what? He really isn't going to like this…"

She continued on, and this time grabbed his collar, pulling him close to make a point of her anger, her teeth grit together.

Troy licked his lips, missing the feeling of her velvety soft lips against his, not at the least afraid of Sharpay as he used to be.

He wasn't hearing her words, but he was reading her lips.

'_More… more… need more…'_ he thought staring at her lips, his face only a few inches away from hers. She'd just tempted him more by doing what she'd done, and now he was faltering under her hot breath, and the glare of her beautiful, fiery, brown eyes.

"… and, there may even be a possibility of you being sued-"

Troy placed his index finger under Sharpay's chin, tightly gripping her hand that was on his collar with his free one, and gently pulling her in for yet, another, kiss.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Now, please review, 'cause the more reviews I get, I might just update faster…


	8. Author's Note

Hello people. It's a little early for an update, since I did just add an update - but, this is not one - just a note!

I'd just like to tell you that it may be a while before I update again – testing week is coming up, and of course, 'I have to focus all my attention on my studies and blah, blah, blah'. So, please leave reviews if you can while awaiting the next update.

Oh by the way, to clarify things –

_**They're not making out…**_

Sorry if I made it look like that but, no, they're not.

**a.k**, seventh graders making out… I know, ew, right? But hon, you'd be surprised about the youth of today, and what I have before seen occur at parties during a game of 'Spin the Bottle'… But, no, these two are much more innocent than that - no tongue, just pecks!

Anyways, please continue to review, and I shall update ASAP!


	9. Ch 8: Heartbreak and a Party

Hello all!

Sorry for the long wait. Well, I hope you like this chapter. To recompense for taking so long to update, I made this chapter pretty long – SO I WANT REVIEWS! To all those who did review, **_thanks a bunch._** You guys are great.

Anyways, I've been noticing the lack of updates under the Troy/Sharpay category. What's up with that? I've also noticed we're slowly recovering, but, we need as many Troypays as we can get! So people, update, and create!

Well, again, I hope you enjoy this chapter…

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 8: Heartbreak and a Party _**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

Troy loosened his grip on Sharpay's wrist, and pulled back, letting go of her completely, though their faces were still close.

Neither said a word, but remained blinking in question, not quite sure of what'd just happened.

Troy knew what'd just happened.

His first kiss.

With the girl he'd been crushing on for ages, too.

The blonde had just gawked at him, lost for words, her pretty, brown eyes blinking continuously, as her mouth flipped open and closed.

No matter how much the young athlete wanted to kiss the girl again, he knew he couldn't. For some reason, he felt that even touching her was almost forbidden.

So silence had beaten down on the two for a minute; a minute that'd seemed like hours.

Finally, the blonde broke the silence, and Troy was anxious to hear what she had to say. After gathering all his courage, he hoped, just hoped, that she would return his feelings.

"I – I have to go," she stuttered out quickly, sliding out from under Troy's gaze.

She now refused to look at the boy, her face still rosy, as she packed up all her yoga equipment.

"Shar – Sharp –" he tried, but he couldn't formulate any words, since his heart had sunk, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

With a shake of her head, she stalked off down the street in a hurry, wanting to get as far a distance from the boy as she could.

The brunette watched his crush leave, his heart slowly crumbling, as her form disappeared. He collapsed onto the grass, pulling at his hair with his hands, in sorrow. Now he'd never be able to talk to Sharpay normally, ever again, and he'd never be able to 'flirt' with her again, and… he would never be able to simply look at the girl again without feeling heartbroken.

He'd risked his whole short-lived friendship with Sharpay in one kiss.

He shut his eyes tight, and thought with the deepest amount of sorrow filling his heart.

'_What have I done…?' _

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'_Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? Troy – TROY BOLTON – KISSED ME! I should be happy – I mean I am, but I'm confused and – and, oh my god, does this mean he likes me as much as I like him? What – what do I say? What do I do?'_ This was what she'd been thinking to herself back at the park.

Sharpay hadn't known what to do, so her mind had told her to do the only think it came up with in situations like this.

'_Run.' _

So she had, she'd run away, picking up all her things, leaving the boy that she'd so wanted to kiss behind.

'_Then what does he think of me now? Did I hurt him…?' _she asked herself, as she dropped all her yoga equipment on the floor.

'_I ran out on him when he told me everything he wanted to in one kiss. Of course I did,_' she reminded herself, undressing, ready to shower.

'_Did he even really feel anything, though? Was he even trying to tell me something?' _she asked herself again, allowing the hot water to fill the tub, as she folded her clothes.

'_No. He didn't. It was probably just an accident – he probably didn't know what he was doing,'_ she nodded.

'_But, I'd threatened him several times for daddy to sue him,' _she thought over it again, _'and still, he kissed me again.'_

The word had so clearly popped out of every thought she had now.

'_Kiss. He kissed me. He **kissed** me, Troy Bolton **kissed** me, and I ran away from him!'_ thought Sharpay, mentally shooting herself with a bazooka.

'_Oh my God… he kissed me, and I ran…'_ she thought again, quietly, turning the water off, and climbing into the tub.

'_That was so stupid of me! I – I should've stayed and told him how I felt… even if the only reason he kissed me was for a dare, or something stupid and boyish like that,'_ she thought, the heat of the water warming her.

"God am I stupid," she voiced aloud, once again mentally kicking herself.

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Troy trudged home, his heart heavy, the soccer ball attached to his side.

'_I'm so stupid. I – I shouldn't have moved too fast! What was I thinking? Now I'm – now she's never gonna talk to me again. It's my whole, entire fault. I can't believe I thought that she could actually like me…' _mulled Troy, his eyebrows scrunched in thought, though his eyes had glossed over.

He fumbled for his house key, and unlocked the door, glad to find no one home.

He looked at the stainless steel refrigerator's message board, finding that his mom had a dentist appointment, and his dad was down at the office.

'_We'll be home late, honey, so don't wait up! Enjoy your party and be back around eleven at least! We'll be home around eight, so call if you'll be home any later. See you soon! Love, Mom'_ said the note on the door.

He sighed, and opened the refrigerator door, pulling out a soda.

Troy felt extremely lonely, and in need of company, so he called his best friends, picking up the phone, dialing slowly.

"Hey – John? Yeah, you guys wanna order a pizza and shoot some hoops?" he asked, quietly.

"Sure. We'll be there in a sec," John replied loudly.

"Cool. See ya, then," Troy replied still finding it hard to sound in any way enthusiastic.

"See ya."

Troy hung up with a sigh, turning the television on once again. A wave of déjà vu washed over him, as the familiar Canadian Mounty began to speak of certain knives again.

"GAH!" he exclaimed, throwing the remote at the TV, as it hit the power button, shutting it off. "I hate this," he voiced with a sneer, a pout playing on his face.

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"He didn't sound too happy," said John, as he shut his cell phone.

"Well, duh. He probably got into an accident after your 'brilliant' plan worked," said Greg, as he stood from his seat, stuffing the last fry into his mouth.

"Shut UP! Hey, he's not in the hospital is he? No, he's not. He's at home, and he wants to play basketball. He's FINE!" John replied, pangs of guilt beginning to eat away at him, as he disposed of his trash, walking out McDonalds' front doors, Greg in tow.

"Yeah, whatever. Judging from what you said, things probably didn't go very well," Greg replied, with a smug look on his face.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we? The party tonight – he'll be there, she'll be there," replied the blonde, with a guiltless face.

"Right. Whatever," the other boy replied, with a shake of his head.

"Where's Jason?" asked John after a few minutes of walking halfway down the block.

"I think we left him in McDonalds. Wait – no, there he is," Greg said, pointing at figure that was running towards them.

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Troy bent his knees, and bounced up, releasing the basketball, hearing the satisfying swoosh of a basket.

The boys played silently, neither knowing when to talk. They'd eaten lunch in silence, the other three eating again, passing few comments about whatever TV show they were watching or flipping through.

"So, where's my –" Greg almost begun. It landed on his chest with a thud before he could finish. "Yes! Thank you," he said, looking like he was ready to kiss the piece of sports equipment. The long awaited soccer ball was now in his hands.

"Don't mention it," Troy said with a small smile.

John tried a lay up, shooting in perfectly.

"Can't wait till Natasha's party," he said, picking the ball up as it bounced towards him.

"I can…" Troy mumbled.

"Huh?" Jason asked.

"Nothing," he said in a rushed voice.

"What d'you think we'll be doing there?" asked Greg, opening a can of soda.

"Well, knowing Natasha, we're probably gonna end up playing spin the bottle, or seven minutes in heaven or something," said Jason with a shrug.

"Yeah. She'll probably want her party to be a legacy, so yeah, she'll make us do just that," John nodded, shooting again. The ball bounced off the backboard, and into his arms.

"I'm tired of playing," said Troy moving away from the subject of the dreaded party, though they'd only been out shooting baskets for a little over half an hour. "Let's go to the arcade or something."

The boys shrugged and nodded, John tossing the basketball behind him, knowing exactly why Troy was acting the way he was.

'_Sharpay…. Something definitely happened,'_ he thought, jogging after his friends.

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"See ya there," Troy said, waving off his friends, finally arriving home from the arcade. Thoughts of Sharpay still poisoned his head.

It was six o'clock, and he still had yet to shower. He jogged up to his bedroom, tossing an ironed set of clothes onto his bed, rushing to the bathroom, taking a shower.

Not much later, he was on his way to Natasha's in a pink polo, and a pair of khakis, racing to get there before he could run into anyone…

Finally, he reached the large party house. It was all white, and quite intimidating, the entrance grand, and columns on either side of the door. Troy made a fist, and knocked five times in a beat, then rang the doorbell.

A sickeningly pink covered girl then appeared at the door, all smiles and completely giddy.

"Hi Troy!" Natasha said with a big smile.

"Uh… hi," he replied, listening to hear music, and chatter in the background.

"Come on in!" she said, and he followed right after. "Party's in the basement."

"Okay. Thanks," he said, almost flying down the stairs.

He'd been expecting nothing less than the grandeur that met his eyes when he reached the bottom floor. Music was blasting in the background, and there were a few kids playing a game system in front of a sixty inch screen television. Many other kids were around, standing by the pink, red and white table-clothed tables, either sipping on canned soda, or stuffing a handful of chips into their mouths. The ceiling was also inhabited with theatrical track lights, giving a dim and club-ish aura, while the home entertainment center only helped to give the impression of a theatre. The black leather couches were also already arranged in a semicircle before the TV.

But something was missing.

'_Sharpay… what if she doesn't come? Was it my fault? I – I still really want her to be here… but not really…. But kind of…'_

"Yo, Troy!" came Jason's muffled voice, bringing him back to life.

Troy looked up to see the brunette walking towards him, his mouth stuffed with potato chips.

"Hey man," Troy smiled.

"Who're you looking for?" he asked, noticing that his friends' blue eyes had been looking around the room in a strangely paranoid way.

"No one in particular," he sighed, leaning against the nearest table, with a saddened face.

'_Because she's not coming. **Because of me**_ _How can you look for someone you know isn't coming? You can't. Duh,'_ he thought, mentally babbling to himself again.

"Oh, well, _'no one in particular'_ just arrived," said Jason in an amused voice, jerking his head towards the stairs.

Troy turned to look at the stairs to see a perfectly cute Sharpay just arriving. She was pink all over, touches of red added to her outfit – but the pink suited her, and did not give of the same effect as it did when Natasha wore all pink. She wore a pink mini skirt, with a red hemming, and a red shirt with pink linings, a cute blazer to top it all off.

"Pick your jaw up," Greg said, startling Troy.

The boy flushed, and closed his mouth.

"Hey! When did you get here?" he asked.

"When you were gawking at Sharpay," Greg shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing on earth.

The blonde had made eye contact with Troy, and then suddenly whipped her head away, her face flushing, as she walked in another direction briskly.

The boys waited a while, until John had finally come. The four talked a while, until they heard Natasha's voice blaring over the speakers.

"Hello every-"

_**SQUEAK  
**_

The feedback squealed in everyone's ears, making all grimace and cringe.

"Sorry…" Natasha recovered, clearing her throat. "Hello everybody, and thank you for coming to my Valentines Day Party! There are only thirty of us here, so I guess we can begin with those games I was talking about! _If you know what I mean!_"

The girl began to raise her eyebrows up and down suggestively, and giggled, while people only coughed, and crickets sounded. She cleared her throat once again.

"Anyways, let's get in a circle!"

The class formed a large circle, but decided to shrink it down, some people leaving it to sit down and play video games, or to sit out and watch. Everyone fit in perfectly after a few eliminations.

Natasha squashed herself in between John and a few other boys.

"We're gonna play Truth or Dare! Let's begin. Since it's my party, I get to choose someone first!"

Few almost objected, but listened intently.

"Robby," she said pointing at the clean cut, light brown haired boy on the other side of the circle. He had bright blue eyes, and looked as if he could've been related to Troy, but wasn't anything of a basketball player. He was a soccer boy.

"Dare," he replied, keeping his cool.

"Fine. I dare you to…. Kiss Stacie!"

Many gasped, whispers of 'Now that's just too far…' going around.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"_On the cheek._ Duh," she said.

Relieved 'Oh's went around the room.

Stacie, on the other hand, was still blushing nervously. She was a pretty girl, with a soft complexion, and a very lightly freckle kissed face. She had striking green eyes, and straight, long brown hair that fell just to the middle of her back. She was quite known for her singing talents, but was more a pop singer than Broadway style.

Both blushed, as Robby crawled across the circle, to leave a soft kiss on the girl's cheek, immediately crawling back to his spot. A few other girls 'aw-ed' considering both liked each other.

"Okay, my turn," Robby said, rubbing his hands together, his cockiness coming back into play.

"Alyssa."

"Truth."

"You're no fun. Let's just make it dares!" Robby said, looking at Natasha. She wouldn't turn him down.

"Fine," she said, sending flirtatious smile his way, though he ignored it.

"C'mon! No fair…" Alyssa groaned, with a sigh.

Robby ignored her.

"I dare… Alyssa to take give Mike a lap dance," he teased, deep mischief glinting in his eyes. The two were best friends, so Alyssa merely stuck her tongue out at him. "Just kidding, just kidding. Okay, fine. I dare 'Lyssa to flash really quickly."

The girl rolled her eyes but obliged, lifting her shirt up and down at the speed of light so no one saw a thing.

Groans from the boys followed.

"Alright, okay. Jason," Alyssa said, moving on.

"Dare," he responded immediately, forgetting people had no other choice but to dare.

"Okay… I dare… Jason to kiss Kelsi, anywhere but her face," said Alyssa, as the brunette shyly smiled at the chosen girl. Jason quickly lifted the back of Kelsi's hand to his lips, and rushed back down to his seat.

Troy and Sharpay just looked on, lost in their own worlds.

'_Is she gonna say anything?' _

'_I hope he breaks the ice and talks to me.' _

'_God, I hope she's not mad or anything. Maybe I shouldn't have kissed her…' _

'_I hope he's not mad that I ran away. I wish I hadn't…' _

"Hehe, my turn," Jason said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by another of Natasha's friends, Andrea, a cheerleader.

"Excuse me, but these dares are kind of childish. Can't we get a little more mature here?" she said with a roll of her eyes. If you put her in an aging progress scanner, her own picture would come out as a full fledged slut in a matter of ten years, which was why she wanted things a 'little more mature'. And, besides, no one was paying attention to her.

"Like what? Tell us. Go on, tell," said Mike, another popular boy on the soccer team.

"Well, like, let's play seven minutes in heaven, or something!" she said irritably.

Gasps and startled looks traveled around the room.

Troy and Sharpay remained stone-faced and silent, delved in their own thoughts.

"Oh, shut up all of you. It's not that bad. Don't any of you watch _'Unfabulous'_ on Nickelodeon? You know, the episode where Addie has a party and –"

"Sorry, I'm a Disney Channel person," said Alyssa proudly, gaining a high five from Stacie.

"Nah, I'm ESPN," Mike said, nodding, while others began to talk in a buzz of their favorite TV channels.

"Shut up!" Andrea yelled over the crowd, but was not affective.

"Yo, guys! Back to the game! It was _my_ turn, and I have a right to dare, do I not?" Jason asked, automatically hushing the room. Murmurs of approval swam around the room. "Alright. Here we go…"

The brunette's eyes scanned the circle slowly, looking for his victim. Many looked afraid of what exactly he was to dare, since he was giving off the aura that it was going to be something big.

"Well, who doesn't have a Valentine?" he asked, breaking his mysterious manner.

Few people raised their hands, and Jason noticed that Troy and Sharpay hadn't though they were both without a Valentine. They were sitting still, staring at… nothing, now on opposite ends of the circle.

"Alright," Jason said, with finality.

'_I'll make things better for you, pal,'_ he thought with a nod. _'And have fun at the same time!'_

"Okay, I dare Troy to go into that closet for seven minutes," he said, pointing at the white door on the other end of the room.

Troy's head snapped up at the mention of his name.

"What…?" he muttered looking at Jason's face. The two friends made eye contact, and Jason only smiled.

'_What are you planning?'_ Troy mentally asked his friend, his eyes narrowing.

Others groaned.

"That's the best you have?" the voices came. Jason ignored them.

"With Sharpay."

Gasps and people clapping hands over their mouths were the noises and sights that filled the room.

"You have to do it," said Jason in a-matter-of-factly voice.

"No, man, no," Troy shook his head lightly, no one hearing his pleas. As much as he wanted alone time with the blonde, he didn't want everyone to know about it – well, he didn't mind that they did. He just didn't want it to be his time with her broadcasted.

Sharpay had gotten a little pale since the dare was spoken, and people now urged her to stand and get up.

Greg and John looked at Jason with nods and 'Nice thinking' looks.

"C'mon man," said Chris, a boy sitting next to the girl beside him.

Troy nodded, not willing to ruin his reputation over a dare that _could_, if he wanted it to, mean nothing.

He stood, looking at Sharpay with a pleading look. With scrunched eyebrows, she followed in after him.

With a last look at the now quiet circle, he opened the closet door and stepped in, Sharpay coming in after.

The door closed behind her, and murmurs of 'What d'you think's gonna happen?' circulated around the room.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Please leave a review on your way out if you can!


	10. Ch 9: Not So Secret Anymore

Hey, it's me again. Yeah, I haven't been given the chance to write much lately, so, once again, sorry for the wait!

Well, here's the chapter, and hopefully, I'll be able to update sooner for the next one.

One more, thing, I adore my reviewers. Thanks so much, and don't stop reviewing!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, 'cause it's one of the last.

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

**_Chapter 9: Not So Secret Anymore_**

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

Sharpay closed the door behind her, darkness filling her vision.

She expected Troy to turn the lights on, but the only sound she heard was the rustle of clothing against the hung up coats. Groping for the light switch on the wall, she ran her hand over it slowly, finding nothing.

Giving up, she remained silent, as did he.

An eternity had already passed for the two teens, though only few seconds had ticked by.

Troy cleared his throat, and the silence continued on. He scratched his head, no sound other than soft breathing heard. He heard nothing coming from the outside either, so everyone must've been whispering, or paying attention to another dare.

Finally, going crazy at the silence, Troy chanced at breaking it, being the brave Wildcat he was.

"Do you have a watch?" he asked, automatically mentally kicking himself.

'_Ugh, you're so **stupid**! The first thing you've said to her all afternoon, and you – ugh,'_ he thought to himself, refraining from pulling at his own hair.

"Yes," she replied, almost coldly.

"Okay."

Another silence followed.

"What time is it?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, though both could barely see each other.

"I don't know. It's too dark," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. It is."

_Tick tock, tick tock…_

Do you know where the light switch is?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation alive. He was now eagerly fidgeting with his fingers, his voice filled with hope.

"Troy, if I knew where the light switch was, we wouldn't be standing in the dark, would we?" she said, with a groan.

"… No, I guess not."

_Tick tock, Tick tock…._

"Fine, let me find it," he said, beginning to allow his hands to wander through the darkness.

"**_THAT'S NOT THE LIGHT SWITCH!" _**Sharpay shrieked when he… 'got _hold of her'_. She smacked his hand away rather violently.

"Ow –! Geez, sorry," he said nervously, a fierce blush rising in his face.

Finally, he found the light switch, flipping it on, glad to be able to see.

The bulb was almost out, though the light was alive, and it at least gave you the ability to see again.

"How long –?"

"Forty-five seconds," Sharpay replied immediately.

"Okay," Troy replied, bowing his head so he was looking at his shoes, though he couldn't really see them. He was now going over what to say in his head.

'_I'm sorry… I didn't mean to kiss you – no, that's bad. Uh, maybe I shouldn't talk. No, she'll probably never talk to me again after this… whatever. I guess I should just improvise….' _

"Sharpay…" he began. He turned his body to look at her, though she remained still.

"Yes?" she asked, arms still crossed, though her voice had slightly softened.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but ended up closing it once again.

"Nothing…"

Troy wanted badly to rip the hair that graced his head.

Breathing in, he tried again.

"Wait – there – there is something. Something I have to say. To you," he stuttered out, his face beginning to redden.

The blonde turned to look at him with questioning eyes.

"… well?" she asked him when all he could do was stare at her.

"Well, first… why'd you run?" he asked with a frown, not sure if he should've started off that way.

Sharpay remained silent, a sinking feeling in her chest. Still, she remained calm, cool, and collective, her icy cold aura coming back to surround her.

"Well, first, I should ask you. Why'd you do it?" she asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

Troy froze, his heart beating at an alarming rate, ears reddening. He brushed his hair back so it covered them up.

"Ah – what? Do what?" he spattered out, blinking innocently. No matter how cute he looked, he was a horrible liar.

Sharpay gave him a sneer, and stood tall, placing a hand on her hip.

"Psh. Don't be stupid, Troy. Why'd you – you know… kiss me?" she asked her voice getting almost inaudibly quiet at the last part of the sentence, as she re-crossed her arms. Her cheeks began to redden, Troy still… well, still still.

"Uh – why'd – why'd I kiss you? Well you say first, why'd you run?" he retorted, standing straight.

"Well, I wouldn't have ran if you hadn't fallen from the sky and kissed me! So you answer me first. _Why?_" she replied, barely seeing the boy before her. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she saw his face, flustered, but firm, his features accentuated by the dim light. It was almost as if they were standing in a candle lit room, usually the set for some romance in any movie or play.

The athlete took a deep breath, closing his eyes, relaxing a little.

'_It's now or never…' _he thought to himself, his heart rate picking up, though he tried to remain calm. He opened his eyes to find a confused, but still ready-for-battle Sharpay.

"Because… _Because_, Sharpay. Isn't it obvious? _I like you_," said Troy, wanting to grab her shoulders and shake her. "I really," he breathed again before speaking, "really like you."

Sharpay began to flush, and looked the other way quickly, hoping he wouldn't see how the words affected her. She was so excited, more excited than when he kissed her, but she _had_ to stay calm.

"You should've told me before," she said in a firm voice. Her heart had told her to go easy, and tell him what she'd felt softly, but her mouth just kept running.

"I – what?" asked Troy, now confused, and a little angry. He'd just poured her heart out to her, and she reacted like she was angry about it.

"You should've told me before," she repeated in the same tone.

"Look, I told you _now_, and _here_, and I wasn't ready to before, okay? So, you know what? I – I can't keep waiting. No matter how much I like you – you just keep running away, and I guess that means you don't like _me_," he said, crossing his arms, feeling as if his heart was being poked at with a knife. No matter how painful it was, he still stood firmly.

"What if I do?" she asked in a loud voice, turning to face him.

"Do you?" he asked back, remaining calm.

Sharpay quieted down, and with a sigh, spoke quietly.

"Yeah, I do," she said, in a challenging voice.

"Fine. Then be my Valentine," he replied in a small voice, using the same tone she had with hers.

The girl froze, and had forgotten that it had been Valentines Day at all. All she remembered was putting together an outfit of red and pink a few days ago in preparation for something, which had evidently been the Valentines Day party.

Easing up she said, "Fine," with a small shake of her head, and a smile.

Feeling bright and happy, Troy turned, incapable of hiding his gigantic smile. Sharpay turned too, feeling her own heart soar.

In some way, she still felt she needed to repay Troy for how she'd been acting the whole day.

Gathering all her courage, she turned to face Troy's side slowly.

"Troy…?" she called to him in a whisper.

The boy turned around to receive one abrupt, and soft, kiss from Sharpay.

She pulled back in a blush.

"Happy Valentines Day," she said, earning a smile stretching from ear to ear from Troy.

"Back at ya," he replied with a goofy grin.

Troy leant back against the wall lazily, staring at the blonde as she sat on a piece of luggage on the floor.

"How long -?"

"Five minutes and forty seconds," she interrupted squinting to look at the watch.

"Will you kiss me again?" Troy asked after a few moments of silence.

"Troy, I like you and everything, but, let's not get too carried away," she said with a frown, blushing at the fact that he did want her to kiss him.

The boy frowned too, just as the light bulb flickered and died, darkness taking over once again.

"Oh, darn, looks like I have to look for the light switch agai-"

"Don't even _touch_ me there," the blonde warned, through narrowed eyes, though she was secretly smiling, a smile not seen through the dark.

The two stood in silence for the rest of the designated time, simply smiling at each other through the darkness.

Sharpay blinked, and had finally waked from her thoughts of Troy, after staring at his vague figure for a few minutes.

"I think it's been seven minutes," she broke the quiet, hearing the boy begin to shuffle.

She couldn't see, but she felt a hand envelope hers.

"Let's go," he said with a smirk his hand still gripping hers. She squeezed back.

"Let's."

At walking out, the circle had gone from chatty to silent. All eyes were on the two, namely Greg, John, and Jason's. Seeing their hands clasped together, Andrea gasped, few cheerleaders looking at Sharpay like she'd killed someone. The blonde merely responded with a dare.

"They're holding hands…" Andrea said, as if she'd solved a murder mystery.

The two flushed, their fingers still entwined.

"Hey – they're holding hands!" Jason exclaimed, not hearing Andrea's hushed proclamation.

Suggestive 'Ooos' went around the room, and the chatter began again.

Troy sighed in relief, looking back at Sharpay.

Slowly, he loosened his grip, and she floated out of it.

Once again, he whispered into her ear, "Happy Valentines Day," quietly.

For no reason, Sharpay blushed, and looked at him, quickly kissing his cheek while all heads were turned. The two took their seats, and Greg, John, and Jason quickly barraged him with questions.

"What'd you guys do?"

"You're hair is pretty messy, man. Seriously, what happened?"

"Does anyone know where the nacho cheese is?"

The other two boys stared at Jason in disbelief.

"What?" he asked back with a shrug.

"Well, what?" John asked crossing his arms, an expectant look on his face.

A silent war fought on in Troy's head, as he debated whether to tell his friends about what happened in the closet or not. He knew they wouldn't say a word if he made them promise – after all the three were best buds. Still, hesitation filled Troy to the brim. He looked back down at his shoes, analyzing them for the second time that night. He then looked up, huffing out in a quick breath.

Someday he'd tell them, but now, just for now, it'd be he and Sharpay's little secret.

"Nothing," he replied with a shrug, standing, and turning to the snack table, leaving his three friends curious, and filled with question.

_-END FLASHBACK-_

All of the basketball players' eyes were trained on Troy as he ended his story, their mouths hanging half open, while Chad choked on a French fry, Zeke's soda flying out of his mouth, Beavis-and-Butthead-like laughs emitting from Jason.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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And, I'll leave it at that. Please leave a review on your way out if you can!


	11. Ch 10: Memories, Pictures and Smiles

I say hello to all my loyal readers and reviewers.

Sorry for the late update – I've been extremely busy lately.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter because it is most likely to be the second last of this series followed by a sequel. Yay for sequels! The sequel will not be up until much later though, so, yeah.

So, please, enjoy, and read and review on your way out!

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

_**Chapter 10: Memories, Pictures and Smiles**_

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

After Zeke had expelled all of his soda onto the table… and the guys sitting across from him, he began to slap at Chad's back, as the boy with the afro continued to choke.

"Um… dude…" Troy muttered, looking at his friend with concern.

Finally, the boy swallowed, and took a long swig of soda, breathing in deep breaths.

"I'm okay – I'm okay," Chad recovered, continuing to breathe, as Zeke nodded halting the hitting of his friend's back.

The other basketball players continued to gawk at Troy, with wide eyes, some trying to clean off Zeke's spat out soda. Jason was recovering from laughing while Greg and John recollected the memory.

"Man…" Chad started, shaking his head vigorously, blinking twice. Then, he followed suit and looked at Troy as if he were a strange freak of nature.

Feeling crushed by all the pressure of his friends' intense gazes, he sunk in his seat a little, pushing his chair out.

"… What?" he tried to say, but his voice came out small and meek, barely inaudible. He was now blushing, knowing he probably shouldn't have shared the story with his friends.

Chad breathed in first, and breathed out in one large huff. He opened his mouth, then closed it, not knowing what to say.

"Dude… nothing, it's just…" he looked at Troy as if he were a strange oddity found in a cage, at a carnival, or something, or someone, born in the circus once again. "I mean… Sharpay?"

Troy shrugged a little, knowing he should've foreseen the questioning. But, they wanted to hear all about his first kiss, so he gladly shared with them – well, not gladly, but he did anyway.

"What's wrong with that?" he let out, trying to make his voice as strong as he could. He sat up again, glad that the boys had stopped staring at him like he was some sort of freak show, though he sure they were still thinking like that.

"Well, she's Ice Princess… and you – you touched her – voluntarily – with your lips – on her lips," Chad stuttered out, looking even more disgusted at every word he said.

Troy raised an eyebrow at his best friend. Again, the boy with the afro was acting as he had last year, with Gabriella. Now, it was with Sharpay about something that happened years ago.

"Look, that was a long time ago, and I really did like Sharpay. She was… a little different back then," he shrugged. "And, she's really pretty hot too, so, I don't see the problem."

The guys started to gape at him again, their eyes and mouths wide open.

"_What?_ You know it's true. She's just bitchy is all," said Troy, looking at John with a smile, remembering what the boy himself had said. The blonde offered a smile back, reading Troy's thoughts.

Chad shook his head at Troy with a smile.

"Whatever you say man. It's still – it's kind of– Sharpay…? I don't even know of a living human being that would want to share a memory like that with _her_," Chad chuckled.

Zeke sank in his seat a little.

Troy looked at his supposed best friend, his eyes colder, and icier, than ever – almost like Sharpay's.

'_Ever since you came here… you've been trying to take control!'_ the boy wanted to scream. He tried his hardest to keep on the small, fake smile he had on his face, though his teeth were strongly grit together, forming a grimace.

"That was a long time ago, man. Let it go," Troy said, with a shake of his head.

"Okay. Fine," Chad replied, sipping on his soda. "But still, Shar-"

"Let it go," the other athlete replied, violently jamming a fry into his mouth, the large grimace never leaving his face.

Chad raised his hands in defense, and continued to eat, while the other boys followed suit.

Still, Troy couldn't help but thinking about the conversation.

Didn't they know that every time they tried to supposedly 'protect Troy for his own good', they were pushing him away? The boy had been pushed and shoved into things he didn't want to do his whole life. A perfect example would be; the result of his popularity was bullying the 'Little Ice Princess' in kindergarten, even if he had a crush on her back then. He'd been pushed into the basketball team by his father, a legend himself, but not because he wanted to. Just the previous year, he'd been – or tried to be – pulled away from a girl he'd fallen for by his own friends. If only he could tell them how much he despised that sort of behavior. But he couldn't – he didn't. He just wasn't like that, and he wasn't supposed to be. He was supposed to be soft, modest Troy who didn't have a temper. So he had to dismiss it, and tell them subtly how much he hated it. He did it by rebelling, doing just what they didn't want him to do; he chose to break free. He did so subconsciously, so that he didn't even know when he did sometimes.

In deep thought, Troy continued to bite away at his burger, thinking about how exactly he was to initiate 'breaking free' this time. He did when he chose to sing with Gabriella, but now his friends _liked _her. So… there was only one choice.

He nodded to himself, while Jason's voice sounded.

"Dude… dude, dude, DUDE! You're eating the paper!" he warned, pointing at the wrap of the hamburger.

The guys laughed while Troy gave a sheepish smile, pulling the paper out of his mouth.

-----

-----

At pulling up to the driveway, Troy slowly pulled the key out of the ignition. He opened the car door, and slowly walked into the house, his father at his heels.

"Where were you, young man?" Coach Bolton asked, looking like he was trying his hardest to breathe. His face was red, and he looked pretty pissed off.

The young athlete looked at him worriedly, gently closing the door behind him.

"I was at Burger King with the guys," Troy shrugged. He briefly looked down at his watch. It was seven o'clock, an hour before his 'school night' curfew. Plus, it was Friday, so he could still make plans with anyone to go out to a movie or something.

"It's a school night. You don't go places this late when it's a school night," the coach complained, pacing the hallway, rubbing his chin with his index finger. "We're just gonna have to fix your curfew then…"

"Dad, it's Friday… and it's seven," Troy reminded his father, pointing at his own watch.

His father looked like he was about to say something, but closed his mouth.

"No excuses – what?" Mr. Bolton asked, grabbing his son's wrist, and looking closely at the date.

"But my watch says nine! And it's been nine for… three hours now. Gotta get new batteries," his father said, smiling sheepishly. He looked down at his 'day, year, and time' watch, and sighed.

"Wait a minute. It's – its Friday, and it's seven which means I'm supposed to be meeting your mom at that fancy French restaurant! Thanks for reminding me," his father said, giving his son a hard pat on the back, then running upstairs.

Troy just stared up the stairs to watch his father run back down in a blazer.

"No parties, no girls in your room, be back at eleven," he rushed, grabbing his coat, and zooming out the door.

The athlete rolled his eyes as the door slammed shut after his father.

Listening to the car as it pulled out of the drive way, Troy slowly parted the bay window's curtains.

When he was sure he was alone, he rushed up to his room, and grabbed his cell phone, falling back into his bed.

He pushed the down-arrow button on his phone until he reached Sharpay's number near the bottom of his 'Contacts' list.

'_How'd I get this here?'_ he asked himself, jogging his memory. He pressed the 'OK' button, and watched Sharpay's picture appear, a curious look on her face with an eyebrow was raised, and her mouth twisted into a half frown. _'Right… we needed to contact each other for the play last year… and she got weirded out when I took her picture.' _

_-FLASHBACK-_

"So, we need to keep up the schedule for the play… I'll call you when we have practice," the blonde said, picking her labeled script up, her usually bright and bubbly face more serious.

"Yeah… okay," Troy said with a smile, picking his own up. He was in a good mood, since his hopes for getting the main part as Arnold were confirmed, as well as his hopes for Gabriella's getting the female lead as Minnie.

He looked down at the table where other scripts were sprawled, and untouched, but name-labeled. Gabriella's was already gone – she'd left before the play orientation, for a doctor's appointment, so she'd taken her script early.

Troy and Sharpay were one of the last ones left in the theatre, since they were among the few who were given the lead parts, therefore requiring longer explanation from Mrs. Darbus, who had also taken off.

Troy turned to look at Sharpay, seeing her serious face.

"I'll need your cell number," he said handing her his own phone.

She handed him her own, as he dialed in his number while she dialed her own with his. At finishing, she shoved it back into his hands.

The athlete looked back at the pretty, school-renowned, thespian with raised eyebrows. Finding her unusually sulky attitude affecting him, he decided to attempt putting a smile on her face – something he hadn't tried since Elementary school.

"Smile," Troy said in a rush, in an attempt to be playful, raising his phone, and snapping a picture of her.

It came out as a confused Sharpay, looking like she was staring at a freak of nature, wondering how exactly it came about.

"What was that?" she asked, blinking from the flash.

"Just takin' a picture of you," said Troy with a smile, saving it under her cell phone number.

While he tinkered with his phone, Sharpay took her own picture of him on her phone.

He blinked from the flash as well, looking back up at her.

His picture came out as a squinting Troy, looking down at his cell.

"What was that?" he asked, blinking several times.

With a smile this time, the blonde spoke.

"Just takin' a picture of you," she said, doing as he did.

He smiled at her, not yet realizing how much her smile made his heart drum wildly in his chest.

_-END FLASHBACK-_

Troy stared at her picture, a smile forming on his face.

He quickly glanced at his alarm clock, which read seven fifteen.

Since he had no plans, and nothing to do, he wanted to do… something. So, he did what he felt he had to do.

He pressed the 'Send' button, and the dial tone began to ring.

Finally, after a few moments of anticipation, a peppy voice answered.

"Hello?" asked the voice. Troy began to break a sweat.

"Uh – hi, Sharpay," he asked back in a lumpy voice, one he'd used back in seventh grade when he tried to woo her.

"Wait – Troy?" she asked, skeptically. Troy could almost see her face, twisted into a look of disgust, with a raised eyebrow, almost like the picture in his phone. Nobody could blame her, since she had a reason to look at him like that, with the way he treated her after seventh grade.

"Yeah," the athlete sighed, wondering if it was a mistake to call her. "Yeah it's me."

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TO BE CONTINUED

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It is to be continued… meaning that there is a chapter after this! So, please review on your way out – the end is near!


	12. Ch 11: Things Can Only Get Better

Okay, okay, no shouting please.

I know, it's a little late, but at least _I'm_ updating, unlike a lot of _other_ Troypay people!

Well, this is the last chapter_, though_, I may just add an epilogue, depending on how many reviews I get….

Well, anyways, without further ado, I present to you the… maybe last chapter of, _'Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?'_

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_**Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?**_

_**Chapter 11: Things Can Only Get Better**_

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There was a short silence, and Troy wanted nothing more than to press the 'End' button and end all the tension building up in his stomach and his chest.

"Okay. Well. Hi," Sharpay replied stiffly, no emotion in her voice.

"Hi," the athlete answered, blinking. His grip on the phone was now slippery and sweaty, and even he as a guy still couldn't help but think, 'Yuck'.

"So," Sharpay hummed, as if she was about to begin a long and thorough interrogation. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she questioned icily.

"Um… I dunno…" he replied dumbly. "I – I did the wrong speed dial. I think." He rubbed his temple with the free hand, finding that he couldn't say anything remotely smart to the girl.

"Hmm. Okay. So, you go call whoever you were going to, mmkay? Buh-bye," she said a little too sweetly.

He almost screamed out an anxious "WAIT!" but decided against it, and let her go – something he'd done repeatedly throughout the years – and had evidently regretted.

Finally the line went dead, and he sighed in frustration.

Something inside him compelled him to press the numbers again, just to hear her voice.

"Hello?" the blonde's voice came again, filling him with rue.

But this time he'd try – try not to let go.

"Oh – uh, hi," he repeated, brushing his hair back, then pulling on it, his teeth gnashing together.

"Okay, that's enough. What exactly are you calling for?" Sharpay asked strictly, obviously annoyed.

"I'm – sorry. It's just…." _'It's just…. Uh….._' "Nobody's answering their cells, and I – don't have plans," he stuttered out.

The girl let out an airless laugh over the phone.

"Well, now you get to feel how everyone but you and your basket-headed buddies always do," she said, about ready to hang up.

"No – no, wait!" Troy exclaimed, realizing that what he'd said came out louder than it should have.

"You know, just because you're popular doesn't mean you have the right to just call someone and expect them to praise you when you're lonely, or even hold a conversation for you!" she barked, her voice ringing in his ear.

"I don't need praise. I just…. I just want to talk," he said in a small voice, finding the words with difficulty.

"Yeah, well, let me tell you this pal, there ain't always someone to talk to," Sharpay said fiercely. "So, why don't you make yourself plans with someone who _wants_ to spend time with you? Like, gee, I dunno, _GABRIELLA_!" she exclaimed.

He winced, at hearing his "good friend's" name.

That's right.

Friend.

The friend everyone thought he was going out with.

"We're not going out, you know," he tried to explain, knowing that Gabriella was the farthest thing from his mind.

"I know. But I also know that you're planning to ask her out. And I also know I have to get to the mall," said Sharpay in a rush.

"Is that it? Is that why you sound all mad?" Troy asked, almost relieved that _he_ alone wasn't the cause of her harsh speech.

A short silence met his ears.

"No. Maybe I just don't like you," she said, quietly, yet icily.

"That's not what you said in freshman year – or all of elementary," said Troy before he could stop himself.

"W – what are you talking about?" Sharpay asked weakly.

The athlete felt himself smile.

"I could see. Sittin' on the desk, trying to get my attention, always trying to flirt with me –"

"Okay, what is your _point_, Bolton?" the blonde asked, regaining her confidence.

"I just – you've changed a lot," he said, knowing that merely saying that was a crummy reason to call her.

Sharpay laughed. "You called me to tell me I've changed a lot? FYI, I've always been like this. You of all people should know. So, if that's all you've got to say, then I'll be on my way to the mall now," she said, talking no more, signaling she was really ready to hang up on Troy.

But, before he could say anything, the line went dead.

He let out a frustrated sigh once again, never feeling more driven to chase after Sharpay.

He tried calling again, but no one answered.

Seeing the only solution, he jogged downstairs, and hurried into his car, starting it immediately.

The only questions left were_, 'What am I going to say to her?'_

And most importantly…

'_Why am I after Sharpay "Ice Queen" Evans?' _

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Troy drove around the mall's parking lot, hoping to spot Sharpay's pink Passat from the bunch of cars.

Finding no luck, he quickly parked in the nearest spot, walking into the mall, keeping as cool he could.

He was itching to see Sharpay's face, something that wasn't quite normal among his current standards… or things that he was itching about.

His life these days was all seeing Gabriella.

Talking to Gabriella, breathing Gabriella, bumping into Gabriella –

"Gabriella?" Troy asked, stepping back as he'd encountered a small, physical, collision with the all too familiar face.

"Troy," she replied with a smile. Shopping bags were hanging off her arms, and she looked as "Gabriella" as she was any day.

She reigned in her usual glory, some sort of heavenly light finding its way around to shine on her figure.

"What brings you to the mall?" she asked, an eyebrow raised, as she leant back on her right leg.

"Shar – Strawbridg - … es. They – they have a huge sale on –" Troy narrowed his eyes at the closest glass display, letting the words tumble out of his mouth before he could catch them – "Underwear? Underwear," he confirmed. Catching what he'd just said, he became bug eyed and repeated what he said he was shopping for… only, louder. "_Underwear?_"

Gabriella giggled that soft, good natured giggle that trademarked her.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. Though – I'm pretty sure those guys over there heard it," she said, jutting her chin out at a bunch of skater boys laughing, their eyes directed at Troy.

He blushed, and shifted around where he stood.

He was a little embarrassed but did not find the fact that a bunch of skater dudes thought he was shopping for underwear important.

This girl, the girl he'd pined and had a heart for just before that afternoon was just an obstacle to him. He itched to see the blonde, not sure of what was going to happen when he did.

Strangely, after bumping into Gabriella, seeing the smile that would once dare to reduce him to a puddle of goo, hearing the laugh that had once made him weak at the knee, seeing the eyes that would once make his heart thump wildly in his chest, he felt nothing but slight annoyance.

'_I'll never catch her now,'_ he thought, looking down at his watch.

"Well, I've gotta go now," said Gabriella, looking back down at her own watch at seeing Troy do the same.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow," he said with a small smile, and a nod.

"Yeah," she replied, looking a little disappointed, "See ya."

She began to walk off, until Troy stopped her.

"Uh – Gabriella, wait," he said, briefly rubbing at his temples, dropping his hands to his sides when the brunette whipped back around.

"Yes?" she asked hopefully, her eyebrows raised as she took a slight step forward.

"Which store has the biggest sale today?" he asked, scratching his head. He knew for a fact that, despite Sharpay's taste for pricy designer clothes, she walked into a department store once or twice to unleash the bargain shopper within her.

Gabriella's face almost fell, the spark in her eyes dulling.

"Macy's – just for today anyway," she said, sighing, turning back around.

"Thanks," Troy muttered out, loud enough for her to hear.

He turned to the doors of the mall, the early evening breeze blowing in his face.

"And – Troy – hold on," Gabriella warned, causing Troy to slightly tilt his head back to look at the girl from the corner of his eye. "Beware. Ice Princess is hovering around there."

Troy felt the corner of his lips tug up into a small smile.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," he said, continuing to walk, leaving a wondering Gabriella behind, wondering himself if her really would "be fine".

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"May I help you, sir?" the thick lipped woman with the tall beehive hair asked, her hands clasped together before her.

"Um – no, no, it's okay. Thanks," he said, smiling briefly, then tiptoeing to look past her hair.

"You're in the women's section, sir," she said, trying to capture his attention, moving her tall hair into his view.

"I'm aware of that ma'am. Thanks," he said with a nod, walking off, his eyes glued to the floor as he shook his head.

"_Yeah we're gonna bop, bop, bop, bop to the top_…"

A small voice made its way into his ears, singing a familiar song, making his heart soar.

'_Bingo.' _

"_Jump and hop, hop till we –"  
_

"Sharpay?" called Troy softly, rounding the corner of a rack.

He seemed to be completely unaware of what section within the women's section he was in.

"Holy –" at hearing her name, Sharpay jumped, throwing what she'd been holding onto the ground. She flushed, looking up at Troy. "What the hell are you doing here?" She was more embarrassed than angry.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, not really finding a good reason to be there.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and looked down. "Okay, that is very stalker-ish. Leave, please?" she said, gathering up what she'd been holding.

"Hey, I came all this way to talk to you. I'm in the women's section in the," he looked up at the sign, and back down at Sharpay, "lingerie. Just for you," he added.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms, tagged underwear in one hand.

"Well, I think I…" _'Haven't thought up what to say.'_

"You have no clue why you're here, do you?" she asked, giving out a sarcastic laugh, watching as his eyes darted back to her face, clouded with confusion.

"I… no," he said giving in, shaking his head lightly.

"Then stop wasting my time!" she exclaimed, catching the attention of a few shoppers.

"But – but –"

"See, you broke my heart a long time ago, and now you and your stupid basketball boys, and Gabriella, just put me down all the time! If you expect me to just stand here and just wait for you to say something, well, you're wrong. I won't," she said, turning around in rage, her face flushed with a anger.

Troy frowned, only following after her.

She turned around to scream, or yell, at him, but was interrupted.

"I – I know. I know I broke your heart. And, I think I know why I'm here. I think it's because I just couldn't stop thinking about you all day, and that, I was just driven to hear your voice, and to just – to just _see_ you," he said carefully, watching as Sharpay's face slowly began to soften. "I just wanted to say…"

So lost in the moment, he didn't know what to say. They were so deep into each other's eyes, both completely lost, rendering Troy speechless.

'_You made a great pal in elementary. Let's be pals again?' _

'_You're not that bad. Let's be friends?'_

'_I – I think I like you?' _

'_I THINK I JUST MIGHT BE FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU AGAIN!Maybe…? I dunno…**' **_

"… I'm sorry," he let out, slightly dizzy, as he suddenly felt all the blood that'd rushed to his face.

Sharpay stepped back, away from him, making the space between them much larger than before. She closed her eyes, and in a blink, the old Sharpay was back again, angry and icy, but somehow softer.

"Fine," she said simply, shrugging.

"Huh? That's it?" he said, softly, heart crumbling.

"You're sorry, and that's it. That's fine. I suppose I accept your apology. But I don't accept your friends. And I don't even think I'm ready to accept _you_ as a friend – like before – yet," she said, taking a stab at Troy's heart. His face fell, making Sharpay smile a little. "But, considering you made the effort to follow me around like a stalker, in order to tell me 'you're sorry'," she mimicked him, "then, I guess that there's kind of hope for you. Kind of."

Troy had regained his own small smile, looking at Sharpay hopefully.

"I guess that's good enough for me," he said, nodding. "For now, anyways," he mumbled as an afterthought.

"Well, if you're so apologetic, I would think you have more then words to give me," she said, getting closer to him, a sly, but serious look on her face.

Troy began to flush, his face a tomato red.

He backed into a panty rack, and looked away from Sharpay, down to see that she was also holding an interesting set of undergarments.

"W – what'd you have in mind?" he asked, trying to regain his composure by thinking of something unpleasant… like his grandma in a bikini.

The picture that came to mind was… someone else in a bikini.

Soon enough, Sharpay was close enough to him, looking through daring, brown eyes, while Troy wished he could hide behind something. She leant forward, her eyes piercing into his.

"A frozen yogurt and a smoothie," she said, pulling back in a shrug.

Finally, the athlete was able to breathe again.

He smiled softly at her, while she looked at him through expectant eyes.

"Sure. Why not," he said, not helping but feeling a small, but old, spur of fondness he'd once had for her.

"Smart boy. Well, get your wallet out and be ready. I'm gonna go pay for this," Sharpay said nonchalantly, holding up a few satin bras.

"Okay," Troy let out in a lumpy voice, as his eyes ran over the undergarments.

She shook her head, and rolled her eyes, at him, watching as his eyes ran over her body, then the underwear in her hands.

Sharpay took to the register, a blushing, yet happy Troy left behind watching – still in the lingerie section.

Watching his old friend, and just looking at her, he felt that something was going to happen – or that something was _happening _between them – good or bad he did not know yet.

But, suddenly, she looked up at him as the cashier scanned the clothing.

And she smiled.

A real, just-like-the-old-Sharpay, smile.

Just seeing it gave him the hope that'd he'd just recently began to pine for – hope that there was a future for them, whether it would amount to the strong friendship they'd once had, or… or maybe even something more.

Whatever was in line for the two, Troy kind of knew.

He knew he didn't have to worry about what was next because for them because, as long as Sharpay was in his life again, as she once was, he felt in his heart and soul that… that things could only get better.

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_THE END… _

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Hehe… no flying objects please. I'm still working on the plot for the sequel, and this WHOLE story will most definitely be key in it. So, keep your eyes peeled for that, and possibly, an epilogue. And, to see all this stuff sooner… well, you know the drill.

Well, it's been a lot of fun writing this, and I really do hope you've enjoyed the story!

So… ciao for now, and I hope to see you guys soon.


	13. I DIDN'T Forget

Hello, all my faithful readers!

Don't get too excited... this is just an author's note. Sorry. :P

Well, all I can say is, wow. This story has gathered dust over the past year.

I just want you all to know that I have not forgotten my promise for a sequel. I'll be starting it up sometime over the summer, or even sooner if I have any extra time on my hands.

So, keep your eyes peeled for that, and in the meantime, keep the troypay alive. :D

See you soon,

Fenroar Greyfront


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